


Static Flow

by Kalico



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Drunken Shenanigans, Eventual Relationships, F/F, Fluff, Romance, Slow Burn, Useless Lesbians, Wordcount: 50.000-100.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-12
Updated: 2015-04-23
Packaged: 2018-03-22 13:29:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 66,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3730702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalico/pseuds/Kalico
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Beacon is one of the top universities in the world. Blake Belladonna is starting there after transferring from abroad, hoping to reset. When corporate heiress, Weiss Schnee, decides to interrogate this new student, it inadvertently opens a path for them, and for possibility. All they have to do? Go with the flow. Eventual Monochrome.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Roommates & Introductions

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story I spent most of 2014 writing. Everything I post here is unedited, and I made the decision to not edit the story after it was all done. There was too much to change, and I have bigger things to work on. I'll be bringing this over to AO3 from FFN with my other RWBY work. The first few chapters are a little scratchy, but the story gets much better quickly. So I hope you enjoy Static Flow; for its flaws, this is a work I ended up being quite proud of.

Every door in the hallway looked the same. Except for the numbers on each door.

This was Blake's observation after she knocked on the door of her dorm room. Room 7, on the third floor. She'd known those numbers for barely an hour, but upon noticing the sameness of each door, she knew that it would be prudent to remember them, at least until the path through the courtyard, into the building, up the stairs, and down the hallway several paces became ingrained within her subconscious.

After a few moments passed, she realized that there was no sign of movement – not even the sound of footsteps on the other side of the door, despite her knocks. Frowning slightly, she glanced once to the right, and once to the left. "Hello?" she tentatively asked to the door. No response.

She bit her lip, and put her hand to the gold-painted doorknob. _Unlocked? Interesting,_ she thought.

She pushed the door open, and instantly wished she hadn't. The room itself, in terms of furnishing arrangements was fine enough – opposite her, at the back of the room, almost spanning the entire width of the wall, a large window overlooking the courtyard; two large desks, one on either side of the window, pushed up against the respective walls, with sizable bookshelves above them; and two beds in the middle of the room, also pushed against the respective walls. On her immediate right and left by the doorway, wardrobe closets; in front of the left closet was the door to the bathroom.

As a result, the entire middle of the room should have had enough room for two people to walk side-by-side. A cleared strip up and down the room. Unfortunately for Blake, _should have_ was the operative term – the floor was practically layered; books and clothes and accessories and more clothes were strewn across the beds, with many of those items spilling over onto the floor. On the desks, even more clothes.

Shaking her head in annoyance, Blake crouched down and started gathering her absent roommate's things. She thought about whether or not she should endear herself to her unmet roommate by being tidy and putting the things away properly. In the end, it was an executive decision made in a matter of seconds. She dropped the books and clothes and accessories on the left-hand bed, which had more on it to begin with. She wheeled in her bags, and put them on the right-hand bed. She progressed on to the desks, and did more of the same, shifting things from the right-hand desk to the left-hand desk.

After carving out her space in the dorm room, and several muttered threats of violence to her absent roommate, she walked up to the big window, and gazed out over the courtyard.

_So, this is Beacon University,_ Blake thought. _One of the most prestigious higher-education academies in the world. And I'm here now. It's… odd, starting at this place. I should be in my second year at Menagerie, and now I'm starting fresh courses here._

She leaned on the windowsill. _Well, the extension of my time in college isn't really a problem, as long as I can get away from that place. I would have done anything to get away from Menagerie, and I have. I've done it._

_S_ he sighed, and turned away from the window. She dropped down onto her new bed, and stared up at the ceiling.

Silence passed for a few minutes, and Blake didn't move a muscle. Despite her eagerness to embark on a fresh path, she was still naturally tentative and hesitant. Deliberate in her dealings with others. Overall, she was not necessarily eager to go out and meet people, even though she knew for a fact that college was the absolute time of one's life to do so.

_It's not like I don't like befriending people…_ she thought. _But I just hate meeting them. It's always the same; a slightly-awkward greeting, a beat or two of similarly-awkward silence while the two strangers mentally fumble over something else to say, ugh… awful._

She turned over on to her side. _But of course, there are those rare times when it comes off, and it starts something surprising and wonderful._ She closed her eyes and smiled softly in fond remembrance of times and people gone by.

Internal conflict quickly swinging her decision, she rolled over and stood up. She would go out to the courtyard, but only to see what might happen. She decided to bring a book with her as an alternate option, and walked out.

_But I swear,_ she vowed silently. _If I happen to meet my obnoxious new roommate, I will wring her neck._

* * *

 

"So, what do you think?" Ruby asked.

Weiss thought for a second. "Hm. It could be nice. But we don't really have the money or the time to hire a bakery for ourselves and shove free baked products in our mouths for 2 hours."

"I know," Ruby said wistfully. "But it is a very nice dream."

"Indeed," Weiss smirked.

The two roommates were traversing the college courtyard, destined for the dormitory building. Both had been at college for 6 months, rooming together from day one. Initially, Weiss had thought of Ruby as childish, and had derided her so. But after a slow burn, they had eventually become close friends.

"Hey, who's that?" Ruby asked, looking at a bench. There was a black-haired girl sitting on it, reading a book.

"I… don't know," Weiss frowned. "Let's go."

"Oh, Weiss, you do this every time!" Ruby pouted. "Just because someone looks unfamiliar to you doesn't mean that they're going to cause problems!"

"That's not what I think at all!" Weiss rebutted, making a beeline towards the bench. "I just want to meet her!"

"But you're just going to interrogate her!"

Weiss ignored Ruby, and walked up to the bench. "Excuse me. What's your name?"

The girl looked irritated, at being interrupted. "Blake."

Weiss nodded. "I haven't seen you around before. Are you new?"

Blake sighed. "Yes."

Ruby tugged desperately on Weiss' arm, but to no avail. "What are you doing here? Where do you come from?" Weiss asked, her voice growing in harshness.

Blake raised an eyebrow, feeling uncomfortable with Weiss' approach. "Look, I don't even know who you are, but I'm not appreciating the hostile canvassing. And there's no way I would tell you anything with that attitude."

"Hey! Get out of here!"

Weiss turned, and noticed a blonde girl stomping towards them. "Oh, it's you."

The blonde came up to them. "Can't you see she's new? She doesn't need people like Weiss Schnee interrogating her on her first day at a new college."

"Come on, Weiss," Ruby begged. "Let's just go. We've got to study now!"

"Ugh, fine. We'll meet again, Miss Blake." Weiss' shoulders visibly slumped, and she started trudging off towards the dormitories. Ruby was quick to follow, making sure to give a parting wave and mouthed apology to Blake and her savior.

Blake smiled. "Hey. I'm Blake," she said, extending her hand.

"Name's Yang," the blonde grinned, and shook Blake's hand vociferously.

"How did you know this was my first day?" Blake asked.

"I could tell. You're sitting out here, but you've made the effort to shy away from people and read instead. Anyway, I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got an incoming roommate to meet! If you get bored, just come up to 7, on the third floor."

Blake's smile fell. "Wait. Room 7… _you're_ my roommate?"

It took a second to click to Yang. "Oh! Hey! Nice to meet you!"

Blake stood, and advanced on Yang. "Do you have any idea about the state of our room?"

"Oh, so you've been there, huh?" Yang scratched the back of her head. "Yeah, sorry, I don't have many people over. Come to think of it, you're also my first roommate in about 4 months as well."

"What? But, you've only been here about 6 months, haven't you?"

Yang nodded. "Yeah… it's quite the story. Maybe another time. Anyway, yeah, so, I'm sorry about the room, huh?"

"Yeah, what are you? Some sort of untidy recluse?" Blake asked.

"Ah! So hurtful!" Yang cried melodramatically. "No, but I'm usually not in the dorm room most of the time."

Blake fell silent at that. _I don't know what exactly she is insinuating, but I don't think I want to explore that particular rabbit hole,_ she mentally resolved.

"Hey, so, you want me to tour you around?" Yang offered.

Blake closed her book. "Let's do it."

 


	2. Hipsters & Extra Padding

"Do you think I was hostile?"

Weiss and Ruby were walking away from Blake and Yang, the former fussing over the comments and guarded attitude of the new girl.

"I don't know, Weiss," Ruby said. "I mean, you can be pretty intense about new people. Remember that one time…" she trailed off, noticing Weiss' glare.

"Sorry," Ruby backed off. "But you are an intense person. Look, maybe it's best to just forget about it. Stop worrying about someone you just met, and we can focus on this calculus stuff tonight."

Weiss raised her eyebrow. "You? Wanting to do calculus?" she snorted. "That's a first."

Ruby shrugged. "I hate seeing you get obsessive. You just end up spending hours stomping around our room, and we never get anything done. Not to mention you raid all our coffee. It's not cheap these days, and we're in college. So if studying is going to keep you from getting a migraine, then I'm all for it. And I eventually want to have some of our coffee as well, not just leave it all to you."

"Yeah, yeah," Weiss said. "You know, you're a pretty good friend sometimes."

"Aw, thank you."

"What would I do without your constant counsel, hmm?"

Ruby sarcastically said, "Life would probably be better for both of us."

Weiss chuckled, "And there would be no more coffee left in all of Vale."

* * *

 

Yang sighed. "You need to stop doing that."

"Doing what?" Blake asked.

"You know, giving me vague or monosyllabic answers to every question I ask," Yang said.

"I… don't know what you're talking about," Blake said, looking down at her feet as they walked. After Yang had "liberated" her from the bench, they had started off at an ambling pace around the courtyard, with Yang occasionally stopping to point out important buildings, while asking general questions along the way.

"Mm. Okay. Let's try this one again," Yang began. "What's your name?"

"Blake."

"And where are you from?"

Blake looked away wistfully. "A place which I would much rather forget…"

"Right there!" Yang pointed at her. "You need to stop that, soon. Or do you want to play out the 'mysterious' stereotype all the way through college?"

"I'm sorry." Blake crossed her arms, and then visibly relaxed. "I don't like talking about myself or anything like that. It just feels self-serving, you know?"

Yang nodded. "Yeah. But remember that we're roommates now, practically adults, in college. Hey, how about a compromise?" she clapped her hands together. "Just tell me some things you're interested in."

"I don't see how that's much of a compromise," Blake pointed out. "What do I get, for-"

"Just do it." Yang shook her head.

"Hmm," Blake hesitated. "I don't know…"

Yang sighed again. "Fine. Let's see," she paused, scanning Blake. "You like books, your hair, while black, is wavy and curled instead of straight. You're wearing one of those obnoxious beanies, and your makeup looks focused on that purple eye shadow. Okay," Yang contemplated. "You like listening to light jazz music, while reading books and or poetry while drinking a caramel macchiato."

Blake chuckled, "Tea, not coffee. But very impressive nevertheless."

Yang waved her hand, almost dismissively. "I see a dozen of you hipsters a week. It's not that impressive, with that in mind."

"I'm not a hipster," Blake said defensively. "I just like a quiet, relaxing setting while reading. And my headwear isn't obnoxious," she said self-consciously.

Yang smirked. "I can't place a favorite food though."

"Yeah, I don't have a particular favorite food, but I do admit to having a certain affinity for tuna," Blake smiled.

"Tuna," Yang repeated. "So, you're basically a hybrid between a hipster and a cat, who likes to curl up and lie around during the daytime, right?" she heard Blake's amused snort, and continued, "What do you do for classes?"

"Uh, not much," Blake admitted. "I have classes in evenings, nights, and early mornings. But my days are pretty much free," she said, her smile widening.

"I was right!"

* * *

 

"Okay," Weiss began. "In a group of 200 high school students, 36 are taking biology, 52 are taking geography, and 126 are taking neither biology nor geography. If one of these 200 students is to be chosen at random, what is the probability that the student chosen is taking biology but not geography?"

She was sitting on her bed, quoting from a textbook of problems to Ruby, who was lying on her stomach on her own bed, her head propped up with one hand as she twirled a pen in the other.

Ruby quickly scribbled down the key points of the question, and silently calculated. "11 percent."

"Correct," Weiss said.

Ruby frowned. "I'm still trying to come to grips with these questions."

"Why? What about them?" Weiss asked.

"I don't know…" Ruby muttered. "I can't wrap my head around it, but there's just something odd about them."

Weiss shrugged. "What do you want from me, Ruby? I didn't devise the college curriculum."

"Fair enough." Ruby turned her head back to her work.

Weiss drummed her fingers on her knee. "Do you want to do something tomorrow?"

Ruby looked up. "Like what?"

"I don't know," Weiss admitted. "It definitely seemed like the novelty of college wore off within the first few weeks of us being here. Not that I'm really complaining, of course – studying is an incredibly important part of our lives at the moment – but even I know that there are certain… freedoms that should be associated with living in these places."

"Well, yeah," Ruby said. "But they don't really give us a lot of time to have fun with that freedom, do they?"

Weiss nodded. Sometimes she was humbled by Ruby's sense of duty. It was if she could be some sort of leader. But Ruby would never know it from her.

"But anyway," Ruby continued. "I've got lectures in the morning and midday, but I'm pretty much free in the afternoon."

"Maybe we could take a walk around the courtyard," Weiss suggested. "Of course, the net effect isn't very different from just hanging out in general."

Ruby sat up, with a distant look on her face. "I'd like to go out into town and do something. That'd be awesome!"

"Well, we could do that," Weiss offered. "If that's what you want to do, we'll go tomorrow afternoon then."

Ruby bit her lip, and sighed. "Nah, we probably shouldn't. We've both got stuff to do, even in our free time."

"Really?" Weiss sat back against the wall. "You do realize that _I_ am offering for me to take you out into Vale for an afternoon? Vale, where you can count on your fingers how many times you've been there?"

"Yeah, I know," Ruby said. "Thanks. But it can wait. I guess this stuff has to come first. Maybe next time."

Weiss smiled. "Your enthusiasm for schoolwork is pleasantly surprisingly. What happened to the Ruby from 6 months ago? The one who would wear that huge red cape and scoff sugar at every turn? Granted though, your diet is still atrocious…"

"It's…" Ruby's easy expression faltered for a split-second. "No reason," she quickly said.

Weiss frowned, but decided not to force the topic. "So, what are you going to do tomorrow afternoon then?"

"That." Ruby gestured vaguely toward the books on her desk, at the back of their room. "Might find Yang, if I'm not too busy," she said hopefully.

"Ugh…" Weiss rolled her eyes. "I believe I implied that _I'm_ free tomorrow. What does Yang Xiao Long have that I don't?"

Ruby stared meaningfully at Weiss's chest. "Extra padding," she chuckled.

Weiss blushed scarlet as she glared at her roommate, and quickly crossed her arms. "Please. What is it about her that really interests you? Are you thinking about going after her?"

"I… uh," Ruby stuttered. "I… don't know what…"

"Come on Ruby," Weiss smirked. "As someone relatable – with experience, might I add – you know you can talk to me about these things."

"Right," Ruby scoffed. "Because you've had such a great track record over the last few months. Who was your last? Pyrrha, 3-and-a-half months ago? How've you been going with girls since then?"

Weiss's smirk had faded, replaced by an annoyed look. "Are you really bringing up Pyrrha? Thanks for that."

"Sorry. But I'm just saying." Ruby held up her hands. "That maybe it's time you start looking at guys."

Weiss frowned. "I'm not going straight."

"It's not about 'going straight,' Weiss," Ruby said. "It's about being with someone in general. Logic – if you can't get anywhere with girls because you're forever haunted by your last girlfriend, then why not mix things up?"

"That logic flies out the window in my book, since I harbor no romantic feelings for men in the first place," Weiss flatly stated.

"Fair enough." Ruby shrugged.

Silence pervaded, as Ruby continued to scrawl in her notebook.

Weiss cut through the slight tension. "But I wouldn't mind sharing Yang with you."

Ruby looked up, and saw a grin spreading on Weiss' face. "Oh, shut up."

"No seriously, I wouldn't mind some of that… _extra padding_." Ruby flung her notebook at Weiss, who swiped at it and laughed mirthfully.

 


	3. Mathematics & Tea

"… So not only do we want to find the biggest maximum and the smallest minimum; we want to find all the ones in between, because they tell us parts of this curve – they tell us interesting things about the curve. So, maximums and minimums, in some limited…"

Ruby was paying close attention to the professor. She was a more attentive student than when she had begun her freshman year. Six months previously, she would have fallen asleep during lectures, only to extort the relevant notes out of her peers shortly afterwards. She'd cut that behavior out ever since Weiss had found out about it, and threatened to duct tape her eyelids open. And after she'd witnessed Weiss beat to the floor two guys who got handsy with her, Ruby hadn't been willing to take that chance again.

Suddenly, a tinny beat started playing through her phone's speakers. It was so abrupt that it completely caught Ruby off guard, and made her jump out of her seat in shock. Unfortunately, the action also caused her to fumble the phone. It clattered to the ground at her feet.

She picked it up and answered, oblivious to everybody looking her way. "Hello?" she whispered. Her professor cleared his throat meaningfully, and Ruby finally became aware of the attention she was receiving. "Oh. Heh. Um, sorry," she sheepishly apologized. Then she frantically cleared her desk and excused herself from the lecture hall.

As soon as she closed the door behind her, and looked around to make sure the corridor was devoid of other people, she brought her phone back up to her ear. "What do you want, Weiss?" she hissed. She listened to what her roommate what saying, nodding and muttering, "Uh-huh," every so often. "Okay, I'll be right over. Yeah, no- yeah, look, Weiss, I'm coming over now. Yes, I'm sure! Your call is making me miss my lecture right now!"

There was one thing in particular that Ruby noticed while she was crossing the courtyard. The clouds were dark and out in force, which she considered unusual for the month Vale was having.

_It's gonna rain tonight. Thank God I'm not one of those people that goes out at nights._

* * *

 

She clambered up the three flights of stairs, and raised a hand to Weiss, who was standing by their door. She got a wave in return and walked down the hall.

"You took your time." Weiss crossed her arms.

Ruby shrugged. "I'm here, aren't I? What was so important that you had to drag me from my lecture?"

"Someone's in our room!" Weiss pointed at the door. "There is a miscreant committing tomfoolery and other various shenanigans in our shared living space!"

"What?!" Ruby exclaimed. She burst through the door, prepared to cave in a skull or two.

"Oh. Hey there. It _was_ unlocked."

"Hm?" Ruby blinked. The new girl from the other day – _Blake, I think her name was_ – was sitting up the back of the room, flipping through one of Weiss's economics textbooks and occasionally sipping from a mug of tea.

Blake sipped, and regarded Ruby with interest. "I mean that since the door was unlocked, you didn't need to shoulder-charge the door. You know, if doors were sentient entities, I'm sure your door would paint a less-than-flattering picture of you."

"Ehhh," Ruby fumbled, confused.

"What are you doing in our room?!" Weiss asked finally, having grown tired of her roommate's ineptitude at confrontations.

"Oh, yeah," Blake said, as if just realizing that she was indeed in someone else's room. "Well, apparently Yang doesn't keep any tea in our room, just a few doors down, and your room was open."

"Why didn't you just go out and buy tea?" Ruby asked, still quite clearly shocked.

"Hey." Blake's tone was suddenly defensive. "I was working overnight, then I came back to the campus and slept for two hours. And then I had an early lecture to go to. It's not my fault that 4 in the morning isn't a standard business hour. And when I got back to my room, Yang was practically unconscious. I suspect that she 'went out' last night…"

"That is very likely," Weiss muttered.

"Anyway," Blake continued. "After I was unable to divine a comprehensible phrase from Yang, I went on a vain search for tea in the room. But, then I remembered some advice that Yang gave me on my first day; 'If we're missing something, just go to Ruby's room – the door is always open, and she doesn't mind.' But given your reaction," she added. "It would appear that you do indeed mind."

Ruby looked sheepish. "Heh. Sorry. I really don't mind. I guess I'm just unfamiliar with you."

Blake sipped. "How do you know Yang?"

"Our moms and dads met each other when we were both young. She always had a big personality, so I looked up to her, even though we were the same age. She kinda took me under her wing, and it's been like that ever since." Ruby moved over to where Blake was, and sat down on a chair herself.

"Really? That's genuinely surprising."

"Well, until this year, though; once she started wanting to go out at nights, the occasions became lesser." Ruby thought, and added, "In a debate about whether or not to go out at nights, the hangover always wins."

Blake chuckled at that.

Ruby smiled. "Are you busy?"

"My only obligations today are an evening lecture and my overnight shift," Blake replied.

"Great." Ruby leaned over and flicked the kettle on. "I like coffee myself." She glanced and saw Weiss standing awkwardly by the door. "Weiss. Do you want to stick around?"

Weiss bit her lip. "Um…" She was considering declining the offer, when she noticed Blake glancing curiously at her. _Intriguing…_ she thought. "Sure." As she walked over to them, she was sure that she saw a flicker of a smile on Blake's face.

She sat down with them. "So, let's try this again, Blake; Where are you from?" she asked, much more politely than their initial encounter.

Blake smiled, appreciating the effort. "Menagerie. I'm supposed to be – no, poor choice of words – if I had stayed, I mean, then I would be in my second year. But here I am, starting fresh courses."

"Why did you leave there? I hear that it's nice enough place, even though it must get cold that far south," Ruby said.

"It's, uh…" Blake scratched the back of her neck. "That's a difficult topic, I think."

"Oh. Well, if you don't want to talk about it…" Ruby said, feeling that they were encroaching on something sensitive.

"No, no, you're fine!" Blake said. "I just left some baggage over there is all. Relationships that went from fruitful to sour in rather spectacular fashion. I'm not denying any accusations of colorful language being used in those parting exchanges, either. Any and all labels I gave to those people were, in my own opinion, well deserved and fitting."

"Like what?" Ruby asked.

"Well, I'm sure you know terms such as 'douchebag' and 'bitch.' Think several orders of magnitude more insulting." Blake swished her tea around, and took another sip.

Weiss made a noise in the back of her throat. "But surely that wasn't the only reason you left."

Blake contemplated. "Hm, I suppose. The crashing and burning of my various ties was indeed a large reason why I wanted to leave, but you're right. Menagerie was a frustrating city. I guess it still is – it's only been six months, so it could very well still be the same. Menagerie is a city for those who have a steady position in society, not for those who are trying to establish their positions in society. Before I left high school, I could see that it was becoming less and less of a city that supported my needs. When I was in my freshman year at college, that disconcerting thought became a painfully annoying reality."

"In what way?" Ruby thought aloud.

"Money, I'm guessing," Weiss supposed.

Blake nodded. "It's generally difficult to land a strong job. And when one has no tertiary qualifications, it becomes even more difficult. Which is a 'chicken or the egg' thing, in my opinion, as one needs the job, to pay for college, to get the job. You know?

"Also, the city is rather infamous for violence," she continued.

"Violence?"

"Turf wars, really," Blake explained. "There are those that grind to get a job, and those that are unfortunate enough to be passed over. Hard times make people desperate, and that desperation leads to the formation of opinions on the way that things should be run. If enough people who share those opinions overlap, suddenly you have a faction. Or a gang – whatever nomenclature you prefer. Give it enough time, and you get rivaling factions. And when you get those special kinds of scum that supply the factions with weapons to maim each other, then you're looking at a tense situation threatening to escalate.

"I had ties to these factions – indirectly, mind you – through friends that I had met in school that ended up falling off the straight and narrow. As I hinted at, you can only guess how that would have turned out."

Weiss let it all sink in. "I… didn't know about that. Sorry-"

"Eh, it's fine." Blake held up a hand. "I'm hundreds of miles from that place now. I have no regrets about leaving it behind, despite my less-than-amicable parting terms with those there, and I have no qualms about forging ahead here at Beacon."

"Have you gone into the city much since you got here?"

"Only for work – the city library area and a few streets downtown, near the bar I tend at. Without a car, there's just no time to wait around for a bus to travel into the city."

Ruby sipped. "I'm only new to Vale this year as well – I came from Patch – and I've only spent a little bit of time out in the city… Weiss usually tells me that I can count on my hand how many times I've been out there."

"And you loved it every time," Weiss pointed out.

Ruby nodded. "It's great. It's just so interesting. And coming from Patch, where nothing ever happens, that's like a drug to me."

"I've been to Patch; it's not that bad," Weiss said.

An island far off the west coast, Patch was renowned for its extreme seasonal changes. A tourist destination by definition, it was home to clean beaches of white sand, and views of the glittering, shimmering coastline. Many that went to the beaches often claimed that they could see the fuzzy shapes of the mainland from the shore. This was, in fact, a white lie; they could indeed see shapes far in the distance, but they were merely of smaller islands dotting the area between Patch and the actual mainland.

It had a reputation as a peaceful haven, which was indeed a reason why it had such a robust tourist trade. But for some, unending peace could seem synonymous with complacency and the trappings of routine. It was clear to Blake that Ruby was one of those people who found the so-called "paradise" dull and uninteresting, which was why she was naturally drawn to the "excitement" of the city of Vale.

Blake smiled knowingly. "And you want to go in the city and stay there, I bet. You could be there now, as a matter of fact. It doesn't seem like you have anything important going on, since you're here receiving me – or is it the other way around?"

Ruby decided to leave the question hanging, and focused instead on the statement. "Actually, at this moment, I still have fifteen more minutes of a lecture, but this is far more interesting than that. No, I think I would like to stay in the city for a day again. I haven't done that since before I started here. But it's like you said: there's no time to wait for a bus here, and as the poor college students we are, we don't have cars."

"I do," Weiss pointed out.

"That's true," Ruby considered. "But when I said 'poor college students we are' I was referring to myself and Blake. You're not a poor college student at all."

"Really?" Blake raised an eyebrow.

"My father is Greger Schnee, president of the largest technology company in the city. I'm the only child in the family, which makes me the natural heiress to the company," Weiss explained.

"No offence," Blake frowned. "But if your father is one of those 'furthering the name' types, then why is the only child in the family a girl? Or do you plan on staying Schnee even if you marry?"

"Believe me, I've asked myself those questions and many more like them over the course of my formative years. I would press the issue with my parents, if they weren't too old to try for a male child by now. They met when they were already middle-aged, and they didn't get married until they were both in their forties. Even then, it was at least another five years until I was born."

"Wow," Ruby said. "It's like they had one roll of the dice-"

"And came up snake-eyes, at least in the context of furthering the name." Weiss finished. "But the question of my marriage is one I go back and forth on every so often. I don't even know if I want to get married. Of course, I've met suitors my whole life, handpicked by my parents to be the key to a future monopoly on this market or that one. It's at those points where I really denounce the whole process.

"Besides, I know it's what my parents picture for me: to find a suitor from one of the major players, to get married and have heirs of my own, but sometimes it's not what _I_ picture for me."

"Why's that?"

"Well for one thing, she's gay," Ruby said.

"Wow, Ruby," Weiss said flatly, and whacked her on the arm. "Way to put it out there."

"Really? Interesting…" Blake was intrigued. "That would definitely throw a wrench into your parents' vision. I'm assuming they don't know?"

"Your assumption would be correct. There are many scenarios in which I could tell them, but I often find myself remembering, _I'm their only child. Their one link to a future dynasty_ and all that sort of stuff. With all they've done for me, I find it hard to have to ruin their vision with four words like _I am a lesbian_. It will come out eventually, I'm sure," Weiss muttered. "It will most likely transpire like some dramatic screenplay, where I will have gone through some life-changing twist that compels me to be more open about my desires."

"How clichéd."

"Indeed. But sometimes that's the way it is." Weiss looked out the window. "I love girls. It's a part of who Weiss Schnee is, and I'm not going to betray who I am as a person for anyone, not even my parents."

Ruby smiled and thumped Weiss on the back, a bit too hard. "You tell 'em, Weiss! I'm so proud of you," she gushed over Weiss's spluttering and coughing.

Blake laughed. _Forget buying tea. I'm coming here for my fix from now on._

After Weiss finished glaring at Ruby, she straightened up in her chair again. "And that's the story of why I'm not a poor college student," she chuckled.

"I think you could write a story about your life," Blake said. "It's definitely interesting enough, with enigmatic characters, plot twists and secrets."

Ruby smiled to herself, with how well the exchange was progressing. _Compared to their first meeting, they're veritable best friends,_ she thought.

Weiss smirked. "I think you're onto something."

"Am I now?"

"Ssh. Don't tell my parents. They won't like me writing a book when I'm supposed to be reading them."

"How will that dramatic screenplay transpire, I wonder?"

The two girls laughed over their beverages, as the abused kettle boiled another round of water.

 


	4. Lace & Lovers Past

Daylight was still in full force, but beginning to give way to the dusk when Yang stumbled into the room she shared with Blake. She could blearily make out said roommate dozing peacefully, and grinned. Then she started chuckling. She was listening to the way she was laughing, and that amused her even further. It was hilarious to her, that she was standing in her doorway, giggling at her sleeping roommate. Suddenly she started roaring with laughter.

"HONEY, I'M HOOOOME!"

Blake groaned slowly. "Yang, is that–AH!"

Laughing raucously, Yang had taken a running start and jumped on top of Blake. The girl had been sleeping on her back, had barely had a millisecond to react, and failed. Now she found Yang sprawled across her abdomen and legs, effectively immobilizing her and restricting her breathing at the same time. Her arms were pinned between her body and Yang's, _and she could feel Yang's hands feeling around in places that they shouldn't._

"Yang?" she croaked, blushing furiously. "Do you mind at least rolling off of me before you get five across the eyes?" she asked, briefly forgetting in her anger that her arms were pinned and it was an empty threat more than anything else.

Yang happily mumbled something unintelligible into the sheets, and continued to shamelessly grope her, but otherwise didn't acknowledge anything that Blake had said. Much to Blake's horror, it appeared that she was about to drift away into the land of slumber any second. She struggled for a few moments, but finally managed to extricate her arms from their trapped position. She attempted with great difficulty to roll Yang off, but found that she would just roll back. She scowled. Finally, she gave up the soft approach, and took a hold of Yang's cheeks. She pulled, hard, and let go.

"Yow!" Yang clutched at her face, and sprung up. "D'you know that wasn't very nice of you, don't you Blakeyyy? Hmmm?"

"Don't call me that." Blake sat up and rubbed her eyes. She looked at Yang and registered that her roommate was swaying back and forth. She also noted the faint smell of alcohol on her sheets. She glanced at the clock and sighed. "The time is roughly 5.00 PM. How did you manage to get dead-drunk by 5.00 PM? The campus bar isn't even open for another hour yet."

"Ehhh… I knowww some people…" Yang waved at her. The action appeared to shift her off-balance, and she plonked down onto the floor. "Blake has some niiiiice boobs… she should show 'em off sometime," she merrily observed.

Blake glared, but froze before she could say anything. _Wait… is it really 5.00 PM? It better not…_ She glanced at the clock again, and felt something akin to a sinking feeling. _Oh no._

She was about 20 minutes late for a lecture. A rather important lecture. As a prospective student of photography she felt it important to attend every lecture available to her; it was not a discipline she had undertaken at Menagerie, and she was starting a number of months behind. Even though she had only been around for a matter of days, she knew that the number of students sharing her courses was quite low. This was rather satisfying to her, as it meant that her lecture hours were more flexible. As a result, she could have an early morning lecture, or an evening lecture which would end up serving as a transition for one of her overnight shifts, be it at the city center library or the bar downtown.

And now she was seriously threatening to mess with that transition.

She jumped up and rushed over to her closet, stepping over Yang.

Yang giggled. "Ooh, black and lacyyy, hey? Very nice… Blakey-Lacy! That's your new name!"

Blake looked over herself and felt embarrassment at forgetting the state of her attire around Yang. When she had gone to bed a few hours earlier, she was unable to fall asleep. So she'd stripped down to a black camisole and her equally black underwear. It was merely a matter of being able to stretch out in bed more, and something that she did rather often when she was unable to fall asleep, so she didn't normally think anything of it. But then again, she was standing in front of an inebriated Yang, who had no trouble making her think something of it.

'Don't call me that either." Aware of the time, she quickly picked out some black jeans and a sweatshirt – she would have enough time to come back and change into something more appropriate for her shift once her lecture was done with.

"Blake!" Yang exclaimed. "You! Need to come with me tonight! We can go dancinggg, and drinkinggg, and meeting beautiful people, and clubbinggg, and dancinggg, and drinkinggg, and drinkinggg! Ooh! Make sure to wear something tight! Then it won't just be me saying that you've got nice boobs, will it?"

"You said drinking three times, and dancing twice," Blake deadpanned, ignoring much of what Yang was suggesting. "Although I suspect that your description is indeed rather accurate."

"Hehehe… lacy…"

"You know, Yang–"

"We'll have sooo much fun!"

Blake frowned. "… You know, Yang, I've been living on this campus for less than a week, and not once have I ever seen you actually go to a lecture, or do work of any kind, even though I've seen the books piled around the room." She paused to zip up her sweatshirt. "Is there a reason you're at this college when it doesn't look like you actually do anything?"

"Hey!" Yang pointed at Blake. "I've got lectures! I believe it! But I do my stuff during normal people hours, when normal people people, are normal people awake! People! Not like you! _You have to get everything done super late or super early!_ I always knew you were some kind of nocturnal hipster… do you sparkle in the sunlight? Is that why you don't go outside during the day? Or do you? I don't know… But don't worry, Blakeyyy-Lacyyy! I'll keep your secret safe with me – even though it's super-lame."

A fully-dressed Blake rolled her eyes, grabbed her rucksack, and quickly left the room. At this point, she was close to 30 minutes late and Yang's drunken harping was getting on her nerves, but at the same time, she found it all rather adorable. _What the hell. I'm already a part-time bartender. Maybe I'll take her up on that offer someday soon._

Yang looked around the room, with a dazed look on her face. She hadn't moved from the floor where she had had to sit herself down, and didn't look prepared to stand anytime in the immediate future. She hiccuped, and started laughing again. "Goodbye Blakeyyy-Lacyyy!" She waved at the closed door. After a moment, she got a feeling like she really wanted to fall asleep again. Choosing to ignore her own bed, which was still a mess of books and clothing, she crawled into her roommate's bed and dozed off.

* * *

 

Blake faintly heard Yang's parting message as she jogged through the hallway. In her black-and-lavender rucksack, she had a notebook and her tablet; all she needed for her courses. She was secretly glad that she didn't have to haul around textbooks filled with equations like Ruby or anatomy diagrams like Yang. The notebook was A5, and held over 300 pages – she had many more waiting to be filled back in her room – and the tablet boasted an 11-inch screen, which was compact, but still rather sizable for a device of its kind. She supplemented the device with a 1-terabyte hard drive, the physical size of a deck of cards, which held, and would continue to hold, backups of photography captures. As a result, Blake was able to minimize her materials into a format that could fit entirely on her lap, if need be.

She scampered down the three flights of stairs, and broke into a sprint for the exit to the courtyard. There was a girl who was entering the building at the same time. She had long, red hair, an outfit with a general color palette of maroon and gold, and a calm, placid expression on her face.

"Hold the door!" she exclaimed. She worried when she saw the red girl's facial expression change to one of panic, but luckily for Blake, the other girl came through, pushing the door back open just as Blake rushed through it. "Thanks!" Blake yelled over her shoulder, continuing on her path to the lecture hall.

Pyrrha Nikos watched after the girl sprinting across the courtyard. _What a delightfully strange young woman. And such pretty amber eyes… I think that I would very much like to meet her… but for now, I have someone else in mind…_

She hummed to herself as she climbed the three flights of stairs, and crossed the hallway to end up standing in front of Room 7. She knocked. No answer. She sighed. _I bet she already got drunk earlier this afternoon and passed out. That would be just like her._

She tentatively tried the doorknob, and _hm_ 'd in surprise when the door opened. "Yang?" she called out to the sleeping girl. She shook Yang gently by the shoulder. "Yang? Are you drunk already?"

Yang seemed not to hear her. Instead she rolled over onto her side, facing away from Pyrrha.

Pyrrha was a little bit annoyed. "So you force me to go out to Vale with you every week, where you get me to drink as much as possible and meet as many people as possible, and now the first time that I was admittedly looking forward to it, you pass out and strand me. Fine." She scribbled out a quick note, which she left on Yang's face, and made her way back to the door. "Call me when you wake up, then." She closed the door behind her, and heard a gasp when she came back in to the hallway. She whipped around to see a white-haired, white-clad girl hastily stepping back into the room she was about to leave.

"Weiss–" she began to say, but the door slammed before she could finish her sentence. She had barely caught a glimpse of the girl, but she was sure beyond a doubt that it was her ex-girlfriend. She never went to Weiss's dorm room when they were together – Pyrrha's dorm was in a building on a different part of the campus, and Weiss would always come up with excuses to stay there, such as _it's too far away,_ or _it's too messy,_ or _I'm too tired_ and _but I'd much rather stay in your bed tonight._

She smiled at the thought. Those excuses always appeased her, especially the last one. Then her smile became a little forlorn. Her relationship with Weiss had only lasted the better part of three months, but she had been fond of the girl nonetheless, and she had no illusion that Weiss had also been fond of her. As such, she could not understand why Weiss had chosen to break it off. When she was breaking the news to Pyrrha, she seemed anxious. Sad, indeed, but curiously anxious. Despite herself, Pyrrha hadn't asked, and Weiss hadn't elaborated. It was an unhappy time for both parties, but alas the months had drifted on, carrying them their separate ways.

She crossed the distance to the stairwell. Before descending, she looked over her shoulder again. She could just see that Weiss's door had opened again. Still no sign of her ex-girlfriend.

Pyrrha shook her head as she took the first steps down. She still wanted to talk to Weiss again, rather desperately, but she knew that there would be another day, and another opportunity. And this was not the right day, nor was it the right opportunity.

She made sure the door of the building was properly shut behind her before she proceeded across the courtyard. She had to squint to make out the outlines of the buildings in the distance. The sunset had entered full swing for the day.

 


	5. Takeout & Early Hours

There were certain advantages to doing everything at night and the early morning. For Blake, advantages meant sleeping peacefully during the warm midday hours, when the air-conditioning was cranked on throughout the entire building. Those midday hours were also obviously when most of the other students went to class, Yang included, so Blake found that she had the dorm room to herself. She would often spend the time reading, studying, or sleeping while her roommate was out learning the intricacies of human anatomy. It was already a dull and routine existence, but Blake didn't mind. She was still counting her lucky stars that she was in Vale.

Another advantage was that she could spend her time outside getting acquainted with the night. She didn't care for high temperatures whatsoever, and relished every moment that a cool breeze from the harbour swept across the campus. It appeared that Vale was having one of those months, where the maximum temperatures would turn pale skin a light pink and cause beads of sweat to appear on the foreheads of everyone Blake saw walking around. Of course, she was able to escape this most of the time – unless she had to do some shooting outdoors – by keeping to her room. Then, when it was time for her to get to a lecture, and her shift afterwards, the worst of the day had passed. If she was wearing sweaters into Vale during the throes of summer, then she could only anticipate what it must be like during the winter. _Would it snow? I've heard rumours, but far be it for the new girl of summer to judge._

However, despite her affinity for the cooler climate, she did not appreciate rain.

It had begun during her lecture. Rather than punishing her for being late as she was, the remaining dregs of sunlight had only given way to rain by the time she was in her seat taking notes. It allowed her to breathe a sigh of relief that she had not been caught in it – she considered thanking Yang later for actually waking her up – but it made her bite her lip, anxious about the night ahead of her.

Her fears were realised when the lecture wrapped up and it was still raining outside. It had been a peculiar day; earlier on, before she'd sat down with Ruby and Weiss to talk over tea, it had looked extremely dreary, only to clear up by the time she went back to her room to nap. Now it was coming down.

The biggest issue she had was that she had to walk to the bus stop just outside the campus gates, and both the path there and the bus stop itself were completely exposed to the elements. To make matters more annoying than they already were, the bus was late, and didn't show up until almost 10 minutes after it was supposed to. Suffice it to say, Blake was soaked to the skin and, she felt, perhaps even further than the skin. Forced to stand, dripping all over the bus floor and leaving damp patches on those that brushed past her, she was silently thankful that she hadn't worn anything white, especially when it dawned on her that she had forgotten to put on a bra after Yang woke her up. _Great. At least I was still smart enough to throw on some layers after the lecture._

The bus dropped her off about a street away from the V Bar – that was actually its name – with about an hour to spare until her shift. That gave her time to sit by a heater and dry off (or evaporate, she felt was a more appropriate description) and eat something before the bar opened.

The V Bar was an interesting case in the cross-examination of Vale's nightlife. Unlike most bars around the city, it didn't open until later in the night and was quickly packed when it did open. It was a large building, for a local drinking establishment, and it was, peculiarly, the regular haunt for representatives of all walks of Vale's culture. There were the Middle-Agers, businesspeople looking for a good time, their suits dishevelled after another long day at the office, the trendy people with button-down shirts and tight pants rolled up at the ankles – the "hipsters" that Yang went on about to Blake, she soon realised – the Crows, as her fellow barkeeps called them, young women drinking light beer, wearing eyeliner and black lipstick, and the guys who consistently turned up wearing muscle shirts and an offensive amount of hair product. These were only some of the groups that spent their nights at the V Bar, and Blake saw they all had one thing in common: they were _gorgeous_. Every single one of them, even the Middle-Agers and the Crows, looked like they could have been augmented out of a magazine pin-up. If she wasn't working, and if she had looser standards, Blake was sure that she could easily find herself with a drink in hand, chatting (flirting, even) with any one of them. It was an easy environment, and she enjoyed working there every other night – her other job was at the city library, pulling the overnight shift; she alternated between the two.

After picking up a container takeout-food from the nearby noodle house, she went around to the back door of the V Bar. She looked at the black camera dome slightly above her head, making sure it could see her bedraggled form, and pressed the buzzer next to the door.

She heard a sliding noise on the other side, and it swung open. Velvet was there standing in the doorway, smiling warmly.

"Hey Velvet." Blake returned her smile and stepped inside.

Velvet locked the door behind her. "How's it going, Blake? You look like you took a shower with your clothes on."

"Blame it on the rain."

"I haven't seen it come down like this in at least a year." Velvet handed her the key to the employee backrooms. "Hopefully it gets lighter when we're opening."

Velvet Scarlatina also worked as a bartender, and ever since Blake had arrived in Vale and begun at the V Bar, she had expanded her duties, taking on the role of Blake's supervisor. The thing that she had noticed quickest, however, was that her protégé was actually a rather quick study. On the night of Blake's first shift, the new girl had fumbled a little, spilled a couple of glasses and was generally hesitant. After some brief reassurances, Velvet noticed the rising levels of confidence, and by the end of the shift, Blake looked perfectly at home, mixing drinks with speed and precision and ease. It was quite an interesting and rapid transformation over the course of one shift.

As a result, Velvet had eased back her role as Blake's supervisor. There was still questions to be answered, for some of the more unique drinks that came their way, but her seniority had dialled back to that of an occasional advice-giver. She didn't mind, though; it meant that she was able to spend less time demonstrating, and more time chatting with Blake. Despite the reserved demeanour of both girls, they found each other personable enough to have prolonged conversations during quiet periods, and they had caught the bus back to campus together after their most recent shift – Velvet also studied at Beacon, and lived in a different dorm building to Blake, so their shifts were really the only times that they had seen each other.

Blake was fond of Velvet. When she had first met her, she wondered how in the world this diminutive, bespectacled girl with the long brown hair could possibly be a bartender, let alone her supervisor. But despite her shy appearance, Velvet was a phenomenal bartender, capable of handling even the rowdiest of the Muscle Shirts. That impressed Blake, and it was what she recalled as she sat, shivering, next to the heater in the backroom, gulping down forkfuls of noodles which were coated in a suspiciously red sauce. Tasty, though.

Velvet walked in to the room carrying two hand towels, both of which she tossed at Blake. "Sorry, this is all we've got." She sat next to her, stretching her hands across Blake to the heater.

Blake sighed, pulling the towels off of her head where they had landed. "Thanks." She grabbed one of Velvet's hands and shoved the takeout container into it. "Take it."

Velvet stared at the container, and at Blake. Then she shook her head, and put the container down in the small space between them. "No, it's yours-"

"Please." Blake smiled. "I won't finish it."

"I doubt that. I admit I don't know you that well, which is why I don't know if you have a thing for practical joking. This thing could be laced with… I don't know, something…"

"Right. After I spent the last 10 minutes eating it, I poured a lethal toxin into it, and that's why it's all red in there." Blake rolled her eyes, but kept her smile. "Go on." She pushed the container back towards Velvet. "It's nice."

Velvet picked the container up again and sniffed at it, obviously this time just for show, before she ate some. Blake chuckled, and started running the hand towels over her upper body. They weren't all that effective, but definitely a better alternative to simply waiting for the water to finish dripping off of her body.

"Mm, you weren't kidding. This is… _amazing…_ "

If Blake were anybody else, she would have burst out laughing at Velvet's expression. The other girl was looking, transfixed, at the contents of the container. Her mouth was partially open, and her eyes looked starry. But Blake was Blake, so she didn't burst out laughing. Instead she grinned and snapped her fingers in front of Velvet's eyes. "Snap out of it. You look like you've just had some sort of ground-shaking epiphany."

"Eh-sorry." Velvet looked sheepish. "Where did you get this from?"

"A few places down from here. You've never been?"

"No, I guess not. I usually get a salad from the sandwich place across the street. I have to go this place," she said, examining the container, looking for some sort of distinctive logo. "When are they open?"

"I was waiting for you to say that." She handed over a business card. "It's open 24 hours."

Velvet's eyes widened. "Blake. We must visit this place. Screw the bus back to campus. When we're done with our shift tonight, we're going to this place."

"S-sure thing."

Then, something clicked. Still happily scarfing noodles, Velvet swung an arm around Blake's shoulders. They remained like that for a moment, one girl eating and the other now sitting still, acquiescing to the closeness, until Velvet suddenly withdrew her arm.

"You're still wet. And we open in about 30 minutes." Velvet stood, and headed for the door. "I'll let you finish off in here."

Blake smiled, remembering the warming feeling of Velvet's arm around her shoulders. _So… that happened._

* * *

 

Weiss was not Blake. She did not have a need, a compulsion, to be active during the witching hours. Her lectures all took place at ordinary daylight hours, like the other 98 or 99% of the campus population. As such, she made it a standard expectation to be awake from 6.40 AM through to 10.00 PM, at the very least. She did _not_ expect to be awoken at 3.53 AM. She did _not_ appreciate being awoken at 3.53 AM.

But it seemed Ruby didn't care all that much.

That's the thought that flashed through Weiss's mind when she felt Ruby shaking her by the shoulder. That thought was instantly replaced with _I'm going to kill this girl._

She groaned. "Ruby?"

"Weiss." Ruby sounded extremely groggy.

"Go. Back. To. Bed," Weiss ground out. She knew that their room was still dark, but she squeezed her eyes shut even further.

"Weiss… Weiss…"

"What?" Weiss hissed. She still kept her eyes closed. "Ruby-"

"Blake was really something, wasn't she?"

Weiss chose not to school Ruby on the topic of past and present tense. "… What?"

"Very interesting. And nice. Not to mention pretty. And polite-"

"Yeah. So?"

Her eyes were still grudgingly closed, but Weiss could _Ruby_ smiling.

"I noticed how you were acting around her earlier."

"Okayyyy. Like you said, she's not as irritable as I initially made her out to be."

"Sure, you two were getting along like a house on fire, but that's not all, because…" Ruby jabbed her finger at Weiss's forehead. "You like her, don't you? As in, _like her_ like her."

Weiss batted her hand away. "… That feels like an accusation."

"Sorry. But that's not an answer."

Weiss felt heat flooding into her cheeks. "Uh…"

It was something that she hadn't actually thought about, throughout their conversation or afterwards. Certainly her opinion of Blake had warmed this time around, but she hadn't considered that Blake was even in the realm of her options. Was she looking for someone, with Pyrrha more or less a hastily-scribbled footnote in her relationship history? The way she'd jumped out of her skin earlier, at the mere sight of her, suggested that perhaps she wasn't quite as over their relationship as she would have liked. If she wanted to even think about _maybe_ getting closer to Blake, then she had to make it a priority to face up to this Pyrrha thing. And of course, this was all predicated on the possibility that Blake would even be interested.

During the conversation, Weiss and Ruby – mainly Ruby – did certainly reveal Weiss's orientation, but Blake had simply taken that information and run it into the topic of her business magnate Schnee parents.

_But of course. What was I thinking? Did I think that she would tell me what sort of people she was after, simply because I told her that I like girls?_

Weiss's questions hung in the air, as the sounds of creaking bedsprings and shuffling sheets broke through her thoughts. Frowning, she sat up and opened her eyes for the first time during the exchange.

Ruby was back in her bed, asleep. And Weiss was now wide awake.

* * *

 

Velvet's back felt warm, but not as warm as the feeling of her lips against Blake's own. Every second or so, a moan or a gasp escaped from their mouths. Tongues were easily parting closed lips, their hands sliding across each other's backs under their shirts.

After their shift had ended, at around 3.00 AM, Blake and Velvet indeed stopped for takeout food – after having had at least four drinks. Staggering slightly, and leaning on each other a little, they caught a bus back to campus. From there, one thing led to another; they found themselves in Velvet's room, which was empty because "my roommate is staying in her boyfriend's room." Not much more was said after that, and Velvet quickly wound up on top of Blake, kissing her, with Blake kissing back.

Blake felt herself getting lightheaded. Not from lack of breath or anything like that, but from sheer drunk pleasure. She shifted her hands to the hem of Velvet's shirt and pushed it up.

"Get rid of my shirt, and I'll get rid of yours," she breathed.

Velvet didn't hesitate. Blake's shirt met the floor, as did Velvet's soon thereafter.

"You didn't wear a bra." It wasn't a question, more an observation.

Blake's face flushed more than it already was. "Well… then I think it's only fair…"

Velvet's bra landed with their shirts on the floor. They kept kissing, pressing their bodies closing together, warming each other on the unusually cold, rainy night.

And even in the hazy stupor she was in, Blake still had to ask: "How did-how did you know?"

"Know what?"

"… Never mind. What are you stopping for?"

 


	6. Interpretations & Hunters

Any other morning, the sunrise would have softly bled into the room, painting a warm glow across the otherwise-bland features of the college dorm rooms. And normally, Blake would be standing by the window, green tea in hand, watching it all.

But after a night of drinking, it was the last thing Blake wanted to experience.

After having spent about 30 minutes wincing and squinting her way to lucidity, she'd crawled out of Velvet's bed and shuffled to the bathroom, where the cool touch of porcelain was her friend. It listened carefully to what she had to say, and with one press of the flush button, rushing water came and carried it all away.

She had never been one to drink regularly, let alone in excess, but she wasn't so naïve as to think the worst was over. She would have more to say to her porcelain friend throughout the rest of the morning, she was sure of that.

At that moment, she became vaguely aware that she was, for the most part, naked. She heard footsteps behind her, felt a towel wrap around her body.

"Are you alright?" Velvet asked quietly.

Blake didn't even feel the compulsion to look up at her companion. "I will be," she croaked. "Thank you."

Velvet smiled, and sat down on the cold tiles with her. "You're welcome."

There they remained, for a short while, Velvet rubbing small circles on Blake's back and holding her hair back when she desired further conversation with the bowl.

* * *

 

It was no secret that Beacon was an institute both highly-revered and envied; the flexibility of their course programs was unparalleled and the faculty were world-renowned. The results that they and the student population turned out were consistently top-rate, and the college had a reputation for making big names out of those who took the opportunities there.

But no matter who was discussing the topic, the elephant in the room was always the same thing – in a world where coffee-shop franchises were constantly denigrated for terrible coffee, Hunters of the Beacon University campus was a breath of fresh, dark-roasted, sugary air, loved and praised by those who chose to experience its wares.

Pyrrha shared these sentiments to the utmost.

Every morning, she would wake just before dawn, and set off for a run. After she finished up, and took a shower back at the dorm – careful not to wake her roommate Nora – she would walk down the campus to Hunters and order three large coffees and three equally large bagels, before returning to her room.

This morning was no exception. The grass and air was dewy from the overnight rain, and puddles of various shapes and sizes had pooled around the campus grounds. The midsummer warmth was already settling over everything, and it would see the puddles and condensation away before noon.

Pyrrha felt refreshed, as she always did after her post-run shower. Her walk through the campus to Hunters was deliberately slow as she took the time to soak up the setting. She had painted a similar sort of scene, puddles and trees and asphalt and grass, back in high school once. It was a watercolor, messy and beautiful and not quite real all at the same time.

At the entrance, she held the door open for two people who were coming out. They nodded at her in acknowledgement, and she smiled. Inside, the aroma was light, but inescapable. Not that you would want to escape it. The patronage for the early hour was impressive. A number of tables and booths were already taken, mainly by people scrawling in notepads or typing away on a laptop, occasionally pausing to raise a cup to their lips.

Pyrrha stepped up to the counter and placed her order. "Keep the change," she said to the cashier, to which he replied, "Thank you," before handing her a paper bag of bagels.

After some waiting, the barista handed her a cardboard tray with the coffee cups in the holders. She accepted the tray and took it over to the table of assorted flavourings and sugar packets. She gathered up the sachets and stirring sticks she needed before leaving.

Outside the door of her room, she heard Nora laughing within. _Looks like Ren's here,_ she thought. She balanced everything in her right hand and knocked twice with her left. She heard footsteps bounding towards the other side of the door, and watched as it swung open.

"Hey!" Nora greeted, her eyes settling on the cups and the food. "Ooh, great! Thanks Pyrrha!"

Pyrrha stepped in. "Thank you," she said.

Ren nodded at her from the table at the back of the room. "Hey."

Pyrrha smiled at him. "Hello Ren. How are you?"

He shrugged, but not dismissively. He was looking very put-together for the hour it was; he was wearing a green sweatshirt and white trousers, and his hair was tidy and pulled back into his signature ponytail. His girlfriend, in comparison, still looked like she had just rolled out of bed, despite the exuberant expression she carried.

Said girlfriend hopped into one of the seats at the table, across from Ren. Pyrrha herself sat down in the chair facing the window, with Ren on her left and Nora on her right, as she finished unpacking the bagels and cups of coffee.

The three made small talk as they ate, ranging from the weather of the previous night to their classes to some of the people they knew. The entire morning, from Pyrrha's buying from Hunters to the three of them sitting around and talking over breakfast, was a more-or-less-daily ritual originating from the beginning of the year – interestingly, one suggested by Ren.

Nora and Ren had been together for as long as Pyrrha had known them, and even longer still – theirs was a relationship which had begun in their senior year of high school. Pyrrha had only come into the picture at the beginning of the freshmen year at Beacon University, when she found out that Nora was to be her roommate. The introduction to Ren came shortly after that meeting.

Their relationship perplexed Pyrrha. Here were two people who appeared to be polar opposites, sharing nothing surface in common with each other besides a mutual liking of the color pink, and yet they perfectly compatible, and happy together. Or rather, Nora was happy. Ren was "quietly satisfied". Pyrrha was happy for them, but she had no problem making it jocularly clear that she was jealous of what they had.

She fell silent at the table, but neither of her companions seemed to notice. She thought the previous evening, and seeing Weiss again after so long. If Pyrrha didn't know any better, then Weiss clearly wasn't as keen to talk about things as she was. Not surprising, but it made her wonder. In particular, it made her revisit the same question she'd asked months ago, during an anxious, tear-stained breakup: _Why?_

She pulled out her phone and sent Weiss a text message.

* * *

 

After Velvet was able to coax her away from the toilet – which ended up being a much more difficult task than anticipated – Blake had sat down on Velvet's bed, still wrapped in a towel, while Velvet prepared coffee and several glasses of water. They sat next to each other on the bed and silently drank. It was a confusing silence. It seemed comfortable, and there were aspects of it that were indeed comfortable: the relaxed setting, the mutual partaking of beverages and the proximity of their sober bodies, in particular, seemed to suggest this air. However, at the same time, it felt slightly tense, and it required contextualizing the situation to glean such details: the relaxed dress – underneath the towel, Blake was wearing only underwear, and no bra, while Velvet was wearing boxer shorts and a nightie – was one of these. Another was, again, the proximity of their sober bodies, but with the knowledge that less than 10 hours ago, their _drunken_ bodies couldn't have been closer together.

So they had sat, drinking, for the better part of an hour, until Blake had started shivering – from cold, not ailment – and she started to wordlessly gather up her clothing, which had been tossed into a pile with Velvet's during their... whatever it was they ended up doing. She remembered that there had been large amounts of kissing and groping involved, but her memories ended right after the point when her hands were travelling down Velvet's stomach. She groaned inwardly as she started putting her clothes back on. She studied Velvet. She found it interesting that such a diminutive, generally soft-spoken person could be so forward with her advances. Maybe she'd started drinking before Blake showed up. But Velvet also didn't strike her as that sort of person.

Velvet caught her gaze, and gave her a small smile over her mug. Blake smiled back, but glanced away. As much as she liked Velvet as a person, she didn't know what she thought about her as a potential partner. And she _definitely_ didn't want to think about the possibility that they may have had sex.

She tried her best to keep a calm exterior as she went back to the bathroom, but as soon as she closed the door behind her, her eyes widened to the size of plates. She turned on the tap, letting the water run over her hands.

The thought of her and Velvet sharing a drunken tryst made her uneasy. Not that it was with another girl – her sexuality was something that had shaped her for years, back in Menagerie, and she was completely comfortable with who she was – but just that they might have gone all the way. Surely it was too fast? Or was that how relationships began now? She didn't have a lot of room to judge – her last relationship of two years had gone up in smoke six months before she left Menagerie and enrolled at Beacon.

But even if things had changed that drastically in just a few years, it didn't comfort her at all.

"Hey Blake?"

Blake turned off the tap and left the bathroom. Velvet was cleaning up, picking her own clothes up off the ground. Blake rubbed her hands on her pants. "Yes?"

"I was going to make some breakfast," Velvet said, straightening and looking at her. "But I've got a lecture coming up soon, so..."

"No problem," Blake waved her off. "I was going to head back anyway."

"Now?"

"Yeah."

"Oh. Yeah, okay then."

"Mm."

"So, I guess I'll see you at work tonight, then?"

Blake's heart sunk. _Right, I'm not off from the bar yet, am I?_ She kept a warm expression. "Yeah. I'll see you there."

"Great."

"Okay. Um, bye," she said, stepping closer to Velvet. She was unsure of what to leave with, but she darted in for a quick hug anyway, before turning on her heel and leaving.

Velvet felt her shoulders relax as soon as the door closed. _That was the most tense hug ever._

She proceeded to clean up her room in preparation for when her roommate came back, whenever that might happen.

She wondered about Blake's odd behaviour. Had she also been thinking about what happened last night? It had been the only thing on Velvet's mind since she'd woken up and realised that what happened wasn't a dream. How far had they gone? She wasn't put off by the idea of having sex with Blake, but she was worried about how Blake would interpret it. Would she think that Velvet wanted to get involved? That would be an almost-nightmarish scenario, because Velvet was certain that she couldn't handle a relationship. In any case, it wasn't what she wanted, nor was it something that she was prepared for. For the time being, she was complacent with haphazard jackrabbit flings.

But she didn't know Blake that well. Blake had only been in town for a matter of days, and if she was the type to look for a relationship, then Velvet feared that she would become quickly disenchanted with the idea of romance and relationship.

Velvet didn't want to be the cause of that, because despite the limited time she'd shared with Blake, she knew at the very least that Blake deserved someone who could fulfil those needs.

She just wasn't that someone.

* * *

 

"... That's just one of the reasons why businesses decide to expand internationally. Now, what's another reason?"

A few people raised their hands. The professor nodded at a young man in second row to go ahead.

"To look at existing firms, and whether they can take over, or uh, buy out those firms."

"Okay. Any others?"

Weiss scribbled the notes, and added her own next to the passage: _Also look at existing market and demographic interests first. Lack of research = potentially risky investment when it comes to buying out a firm internationally. Could lead to bad investment in long run, and costly financial mistake. Best to fund research as a first step before looking at financial options._

She didn't love business studies classes, but it was one of the concessions she granted to keep her parents off of her back. At the very least, it would be useful for when she took over her father's company. _If,_ she reminded herself. She didn't know if the offer would still be open once her parents found out one of the few things they didn't know about their daughter.

The class eventually ended, and Weiss was one of the first out of the door. She'd been at lectures since breakfast, and was getting to the point where she was worried about the slightest thing setting her off. But now she had the rest of the day off, and was looking forward to tackling the new issues that had presented themselves in her personal life, namely one that took the form of a black-haired girl with eyes the color of melted, liquid amber, who spoke with a tone which was quiet, but because of that, just made you want to listen even closer to what she had to say.

She unlocked the door of her room and walked in. _Do I seriously like Blake? I barely know her. Does she even like girls? She never said. She said the other day that she was with someone back in Menagerie, but she didn't specify. Geez, speaking of screenplays – imagine me, a gay girl pining after a straight girl. Ugh, been there; not fun._

She walked over her bench at the back of the room and picked up her phone. Stupidly, she'd forgotten to charge it overnight, and a blank screen was the only thing that greeted her when she went to check it after she'd woken up. So she'd left it on charge for the morning before she left for the first of her lectures. Now it was fully-charged, and not only that: she had a new message. Her heart leapt at the possibilities. _Could it be Blake? We exchanged numbers, after all,_ she rationalised.

It wasn't quite disappointment, but something else entirely that she felt when she saw that it was not from Blake; rather, it was from Pyrrha. She frowned, and opened the message. The first line was, _Hello Weiss._

A formal greeting, but not unusual for Pyrrha, in Weiss's experience. She read further. Pyrrha had written, _Hello Weiss. This might seem odd, but given your skittish reaction to my presence yesterday, I get the feeling that you're not exactly eager to talk yet. But I think it would be a good idea for us to talk anyway. It's been months since we had our last real conversation, and even then, it ended with a breakup. Anyway, I want to have this talk, because if anything, it will leave me with some closure to properly move on, because it's still nagging me every now and again._

_P. S. I would have called, but right now it's rather early, and you might be in class anyway._

Weiss sat down, and reread the message several times. After the fifth time, she laid back in her bed, holding the phone to her chest and staring at the ceiling.

Pyrrha hadn't specified what she wanted to talk about, but she didn't need to. Weiss knew exactly what was bugging Pyrrha. She wanted to know the full truth of why Weiss broke up with her.

A pang of regret stabbed its way into Weiss's chest. She did feel genuinely bad about the way she'd ended it, but it was a matter of the situation more than anything else, and she hadn't been sure that Pyrrha would understand. She knew now that such a notion was foolish; if anyone would understand why Weiss had done what she'd done, then it would be Pyrrha.

And here she was, obsessing over a girl who may or may not be a blip on her gaydar, when she'd left behind a casualty of a relationship who hadn't done a thing to deserve it. The regret tightened.

Now that their breakup was about three months old, the feelings of tenderness had of course dulled. But she still thought of Pyrrha rather fondly; after all, she hadn't done anything wrong. It was Weiss's problem to deal with, but now that she gave it some more thought, she had inadvertently dragged Pyrrha into it by refusing to tell her the truth.

She made up her mind. If she truly felt any affection for Pyrrha during their relationship, then she would tell her what it was that caused things to turn sour so suddenly. And she had indeed felt a lot of affection for Pyrrha.

So she dialled Pyrrha's number.

 


	7. Inhibitions & Insecurities

The nightlife at the V Bar was in full swing, and the shift was proving to be one of Blake's most demanding since her move to Vale.

For some reason, the establishment was finding itself popular with the Crows, who'd been steadily flocking in since the night begun, ordering their bottles of light beer and chatting all over the room. Blake hadn't seen so much black lipstick in her life.

She told Velvet as much, and only got a shrug and a polite, "It happens," in reply.

Blake finished pouring a round of shots for some excitable twenty-something women, and looked over at Velvet. They'd been busy all night, but Blake was still able to sense the air of avoidance. There was a weird energy radiating between them, and she was thankful for her job being able to distract her momentarily. But as quickly as business had accelerated, it had to die down eventually, and when it did, it was quick, jarring, and Blake suddenly caught herself thinking about Velvet again. She literally kicked the back of her leg. _Stop it._

But she couldn't say that she didn't see something like this coming. She'd only been in Vale for roughly a week, and she'd made so few friends that she could count them on one hand. Normally, such a thing wouldn't be an issue, and it wasn't as if she normally went out of her way to make acquaintances, but it made her anxious if one person among that number felt alienated from her. It would be a shame, given how well they'd gotten along since Blake's move.

_Yes, you've gotten on_ swimmingly _together, haven't you now,_ a voice echoed in her head. An image of Velvet's lust-lidded eyes wormed into her head.

She shook her head, and went to take an older gentleman's order. After mixing the cocktail, she looked around. "Hey, Velvet?" she called over.

Velvet's gaze flicked to her, but didn't meet her eyes. "Yes?"

"You clocking out soon?"

Velvet checked her watch. "Yeah. 15 minutes."

"Okay," Blake said. "Can you wait up? I get off in 30."

A range of emotions played across Velvet's face. It was a war between excitement, anxiety and reluctance. "I don't know."

Blake reached out and took Velvet's hand. "Please? We need to talk about things."

Velvet gently pulled her hand away, but replied, "Okay," still looking uncertain.

"Please?" Blake tried again.

"I promise."

The next 30 minutes felt like a large blur to Blake, with only certain snapshots appearing clearly: a Crow trying her best to flirt with her, a dishrag soaking up beer spilt on the bar, Velvet looking back over her shoulder at her as she left the bar and headed to the staff room.

Then Blake's shift was over. Another pair of overnighters came in to relieve her, and she was walking back to the staff room, hoping that she hadn't been left high and dry.

A hand found hers, and softly pulled her down onto a bench, the same one where she'd sat, drying off the previous night. Big chocolate-brown eyes found hers as well, and held her gaze, rather than flitting away after a split second, like they'd been doing all night.

Velvet kept her promises, it seemed.

"I think I know what you're going to say," she said. "You've been thinking about... us, haven't you?"

"Well, I think it would be rude of me to not give it any thought, wouldn't you agree?"

Velvet raised her hands. "Okay. Um... I'm worried about how... I mean, what do you think we are to each other, now?"

Blake searched, and came up with the answer. It was an answer that went against her philosophy on what a romantic attraction should be, which was a meaningful and mutual connection of affection between potential companions, and it was an answer that she didn't necessarily identify with, either. But the more she'd thought about it, the more she was willing to believe that it was the right answer.

She took a deep breath and said, "I think that we're friends. How close are we? Well, I think we're close enough that I have no problems getting drunk with you. I have no problems going home with you, and spending a night in your bed. I mean, the sex part is something I'm not entirely comfortable with, but I like you, anyway, and I like kissing you, even if I can barely remember it the next morning."

"Wow," Velvet said. "I'm flattered... I think?"

Blake half-smiled. "Like, do you see me as someone who could be your girlfriend?"

"Oh. Um... _this is so awkward..._ I'm really sorry, Blake, but I just don't see you that way," Velvet said, and laughed nervously. "I mean, I'm not a relationship person at the moment. I haven't been for about a year now. And I don't know when I might be again. I got burned by a tall-dark-and-handsome before because I wasn't smart enough to see it for what it was, and it was _rough_. You know what I mean?"

"I do."

"I'm not a terrible person, am I? Please validate me," Velvet begged.

"You're not," Blake laughed. "And you know what? It's no big deal. You want things to stay more-or-less friendly, and I want the same."

Velvet nodded. "Are you sober right now?"

Blake immediately understood, and nodded as well. "Uncomfortably so."

"Great. That makes two of us."

At that moment, something primal, something animal, surfaced in Blake's mind. Something that just told her, _fuck it._ She walked over to the break fridge, grabbed a six-pack of cider bottles and sat back down. Then she pulled Velvet into a rough kiss. There was surprise, but after a moment she felt Velvet relent.

She pulled back after a few moments, and thrust a bottle of cider into Velvet's hands. "Let's change that, shall we?"

* * *

 

"Espresso macchiato, short, and a caramel macchiato. Both large," Weiss requested, handing a card to the young man behind the counter. "And make that to-go," she added.

She backed out the door with the coffees, and raked her gaze around. She caught a glimpse of a red-haired girl waving, and strolled over. "Hey," she said.

"Good morning," Pyrrha replied.

Weiss held up one of the cups. "Caramel macchiato?"

"You remember how I take my coffee?" Pyrrha said, as she took the cup in her hands and sipped.

"Of course I do."

"Thank you. I love coming to this place for coffee."

"Really?" Weiss said. She'd only ever been to Hunters a few times, and it hadn't swept her with the same frenzy it had everyone else. She preferred to make her beverages in the relative privacy of her room.

Pyrrha nodded. "What do I owe you?"

"Please," Weiss said, waving her off. "I called you out here."

"But I asked you to meet first."

"Are we seriously going to argue over the price of a coffee?"

Pyrrha chuckled. "No. Shall we walk?"

Weiss nodded. They set a slow pace as they ambled towards the courtyard, not yet saying anything else. Weiss regarded Pyrrha. She looked the same, for the most part. The only thing different was that Pyrrha now wore her hair up, in a ponytail. Weiss found herself preferring to wear her own waist-length locks down as of late.

"You look good," Pyrrha eventually said.

Weiss smiled. "Thanks. You too." And she meant it. "How've you been?"

Pyrrha focused on her coffee. "It's been different," she answered vaguely. It felt like a dismissal to Weiss, so she decided to let it go for the time being.

She took in Pyrrha's green sweater and purple skirt ensemble. "That's a nice outfit," she said. "I don't think I've seen you wear it before."

Pyrrha clucked her tongue. "That sounds about right. I cleaned out my entire wardrobe and bought a new one after we broke up." She said it casually, like she was saying, _the rain the other night was pretty bad._

Weiss raised her eyebrows, but didn't pursue further. "So, I know why you want to talk."

"I'd be surprised if you didn't."

They came across a park-bench seat, and sat down next to each other. Weiss watched her fellow students, as they crossed the courtyard, walking to their next class, or back to their room. She sipped her espresso. The strong bitterness cut through, and remained on the back of her tongue. It reminded her why she was here.

She sipped again, and looked down into her cup. "You want to know why we broke up." She paused. "Sorry. I mean, why I freaked out and threw it all away."

"That's not what I think at all."

"Don't lie, Pyrrha. I realize that you might have hated me for a while after I did what I did. I know that you probably thought something like that at some stage. Blaming me for it all. That's fine." Weiss looked up. "It was my fault. Well... it was all to do with me, in any case."

Pyrrha gazed at her ex-girlfriend. There was a sense of contemplativeness surrounding Weiss. She laid her hand on Weiss's wrist. "What happened?"

Weiss sighed. "Do you remember, when we first started going out, how I told you about my family? I still haven't come out to them, and they're still trying to set me up with suitors. I think they were getting suspicious, as much as we were getting careless. Remember that one time when they video-called while we were... _occupied_... and I had to answer it wearing your purple blanket? Good thing I left my laptop in my room from that point on.

"I got nervous and scared, is what I'm getting at here. I was scared that they would put the pieces together, that they would find out about us, and subsequently, me. I should have said something to you, but I just couldn't. What if you had thought that I wasn't prepared to commit myself to you? That would have been unimaginably horrid. I was fine with loving you, and I did love you, but I couldn't push myself over that final hurdle.

"I'm being so incredibly foolish. I don't know what I'm waiting for, honestly. Am I waiting for the topic to come up, so I can segue into the conversation, like, 'Hey, by the way, speaking of lesbians...' or do I just need to grow a pair and sit them down one day? Am I waiting for the right girl, who I can count on to hold my hand and bear the brunt of my parents' likely fury at the same time?"

"Was I not the right girl?" Pyrrha interjected. She said it calmly, and curiously, not angrily.

Weiss gave her a sad smile. "I'm sorry, Pyrrha. Like I said, none of this was your problem, and I was so selfish with how I handled things. Maybe, if I hadn't been stupid, and we'd kept growing what we had together, then maybe I could have mustered up the courage to stand hand-in-hand with you in front of my parents. But now, I'm not so sure."

Pyrrha looked downcast. "I understand."

"What do you feel?" Weiss gently probed.

"I feel..." Pyrrha paused. "I feel disappointed, that it came to the way it did. But I feel resolution as well. Is it wrong, that I'm not angry at you?"

"I wouldn't say that it's wrong, but I wouldn't blame you if you were," Weiss said. "After all, it was my failure."

"Okay." Pyrrha grasped Weiss's hand, and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "It's all okay."

Weiss smiled again, but there was less sadness this time. "I can't hope to make up for such a heinous act. But I hope that someday soon, we can go back to being friends again."

Pyrrha returned her smile. "Someday soon. I like the sound of that."

Weiss shook her head, but kept smiling. "You're too good for this world, Pyrrha. Do you know that?"

"Please." Pyrrha blushed. "I'm only human."

"Indeed," Weiss said, "but that doesn't make you any less good a person."

Pyrrha felt lost for an appropriate reply. So she just said, "This will take some getting through, and it will be something I have to sort out for myself. But thank you, Weiss. For today. For everything."

Weiss leaned over, and kissed Pyrrha's cheek. "Thank _you_ , for being one of the best people I've ever known." She went to take a sip of espresso, and made a face. _If this were a perfect world,_ she thought, _then coffee would stay warm forever. And I wouldn't be dealing with this._

* * *

 

Ruby swiped her note pages together into a pile, and shoved them into her backpack. She took sketches and designs as just another day at the office, and she was more looking forward to getting her late lunch than anything else. She found that there was something masochistically satisfying about denying herself the midday meal, as it made the eventual meal, which she would have at about 2.00 PM, all the more wonderful. However, she failed to realize that this was usually a consequence of her tendency to sleep in and wait until about 10.00 AM to eat breakfast, so it actually worked out to a more-or-less normal pattern of eating.

The throng of her peers flowed across the hallway. She did her best to sift through the crush and burst out of the exit to the courtyard. Times like these, she envied Blake's hours, and that she didn't have to deal with a mass of students moving around her before and after lectures. She assumed it was less stuffy in the hallway at those hours.

"Hey, Ruby!"

Ruby turned around. There was Yang, waving to her as she skipped up behind her. Her blonde locks bounced against her back, and her lavender eyes were radiant as usual. She wore her trademark brown jacket zipped just above her breasts, and skinny blue jeans hugging hips and legs that beckoned. To Ruby, she was the embodiment of physical beauty. At least, that's what her libido was telling her at the moment.

"Man, that was the longest morning in my history of long summer mornings!" Yang exclaimed when she caught up to Ruby.

"Hey," Ruby began, but without warning, Yang pulled her into a fierce bear hug. She squeaked in surprise at the sudden contact. "Wh-what are you doing?" she croaked against Yang's torso.

"I haven't seen you in forever, Rubes!" said Yang, as if it justified the matter. "I miss seeing your short ass around!"

Ruby blushed. It was turning into an overly-long hug, and it would be just her luck if people started staring, but at the same time, she didn't care. Her heart was pounding in her throat, her mind was racing, and she was enjoying it.

All too soon – in her opinion – Yang released her and she staggered backwards a couple of steps, but smiled anyway. They started walking down the courtyard path together.

"Did you miss me too?" Yang asked, not taking it at all seriously.

"Well, I don't know... it's not my fault that I hardly see you. You're the one going out every other night and stuff, not me."

Yang gave her a sad smile, and patted a hand on her shoulder. "I'll make it up to you then."

"How?"

"Let me take you out for a night downtown! Just the two of us. How about it, huh?"

Ruby looked forward, and gave the offer some thought. The main reason they'd stopped hanging out in the first place was because Yang would always drag her out. They'd get drunk and start brawling in various locations, and Ruby always woke up feeling like she'd gone 12 rounds in a boxing ring.

But, and she was loathe to admit to it, she'd actually enjoyed those nights. Yang was just a fun person to be around. It was like she operated on a higher frequency than everyone else. She knew the way that things worked in the scenes, and she knew how to get what she wanted, but she also knew how to show a good time to someone like Ruby, who was never always up for it.

Not to mention that it was going to be just the two of them, which was a different story entirely.

So Ruby nodded. "Sounds great."

"Awesome!"

They kept walking. The number of students walking around was beginning to decrease, with people rushing off to where they needed to be. It brought Ruby to another topic. "You had PES?" she asked. PES stood for Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, which was Yang's major.

Yang nodded. "The entire morning, yeah."

Ruby raised her eyebrows. "What? What do you do?"

"Ugh, sorry, but I _really_ don't want to get into it."

"Fair enough."

"So, where do you wanna go?"

"Um..."

"Ooh! I know this great bar downtown; you'll _love_ it!"

"Oh, okay, then..."

"I'm going to be studying all of tonight, it looks like, so we'll go tomorrow night, okay?" It was phrased like a question, but Yang stated it like it was an undeniable fact.

"Sure," Ruby said. "What's the bar?"

"It's called the V Bar. Like I said, you'll love it!"

* * *

 

Weiss took a deep breath and knocked on the door of Room 7. She didn't know what she was hoping for. It was about three in the afternoon, so she knew that Blake wouldn't be in the middle of any lectures. Maybe Blake would open the door and beckon her in with spoken offers of tea and unspoken offers of brilliant conversation.

"Hello?" The door swung open. "Oh, it's you," Yang said, with an unsubtle semitonal drop in her voice.

Weiss decided to brush aside the immediate insult. "Is Blake around?"

Yang looked surprised. "No. I've actually been waiting for her to come back all day, but no, I haven't seen her since she left for work yesterday."

Weiss felt herself getting annoyed already. "And it didn't occur to you that something terrible might have happened to her?"

"Not really, no."

Weiss's eyebrow twitched. "Why?"

Yang shrugged. "Dunno. Just doesn't seem like the type of girl to be a 'damsel in distress', you know what I mean?"

"You are truly unbelievable sometimes. I don't know how she hasn't filed a roommate complaint against you yet."

"You don't really meant that. I know you don't. But why do you need to see Blake so badly, anyway?"

"Hm? Oh," Weiss said, blanching slightly. "Just a thing we were talking about the other day..."

Yang frowned. "Do you want me to take a message, or something?"

"Uh, no." She shifted. "Why would I do that? I literally live a few doors away."

"Why are you acting so skittishly right now?"

"I'm not being 'skittish', I'm just a little concerned that you're not showing any concern for your new roommate! How long has she been here?"

"What's your problem?"

"I'm not the one with the problem, Yang Xiao Long! At least I actually care about what happens to a friend!"

Yang looked lost. "What the- what is happening right now?"

"What's with all the noise up here?" a new voice said.

Weiss and Yang turned. Blake was walking up to them with a frown. Weiss noticed that her clothes and hair were looking slightly ruffled.

"So, what's happening?" Blake said.

"Oh, not much. Weiss was just melting down into a molten puddle at our door, weren't you, Weiss?" Yang said matter-of-factly.

"Quiet, peon," Weiss snapped at her, before looking at Blake again. "Blake. Would you want to get some coffee or tea with me? Maybe something to eat, if that's what you feel like?" she asked with an air of quiet confidence.

Blake wasn't quite sure of the offer, especially given the immediately-preceding events, but she didn't want to be rude to be one of the few friends she'd made. "I would like that," she began, "but I've been slacking off these past couple of days, getting drunk with workmates, so I have to study before I get ready for work. But you're welcome to hang around if you want."

Weiss glanced at Yang, and quickly realized two things: she needed privacy to talk to Blake about the matters on her mind, and she didn't want to feel like she was distracting Blake from something important, either. "No, that's fine," she said, shaking her head. "I'll see you later then."

As she walked away to her own room, Blake looked at Yang with a quizzical expression. "Was something about that just a little bit odd to you?"

Yang stared after Weiss for a few moments, before heading back into her room. She shrugged. "Bitches be tripping."

Blake raised her eyebrows. An eventful day had come to a head, she felt. She'd spent almost the entire day with Velvet, eating and drinking coffee and beer. Now she'd finally come back to her dorm room and witnessed a mind-boggling scene being played out between her roommate and Weiss, the latter of whom had seemed incredibly high-strung. More than Blake had ever seen, in any case. And then there was Weiss's offer, and whatever that had meant.

Then, as she gave it some thought, it was like a lightbulb switched on over her head. _Wait a second... was that what I think it was? Did Weiss Schnee just ask me on a date of some kind? Did I just reject Weiss Schnee?_

She vigorously shook her head. _Please. Don't flatter yourself like that,_ her mind scolded. Still, she couldn't help but feel that her world had been opened up. Just a little.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *I don't know if it was made clear, but Yang and Ruby are not related in this AU. Ah, the wondrous things one can do with just a little tweaking of the family trees.


	8. Just Things & The Test

The day after her encounter with Blake and Yang in the hallway, Weiss couldn't help feeling like she'd said something wrong. Blake seemed to be avoiding her, but she wasn't entirely sure; earlier, they'd run into each other, but Blake appeared had appeared anxious and made excuses to rush off. Weiss wondered what was going on.

Presently, she was standing at the back of the line at a sandwich cart, when she felt someone bump into her from behind.

"Sup, Weiss!" Yang said.

"Yang, why do you have to be so aggressive with her?" Ruby lamented.

"Hey, Ruby," Weiss greeted. She glared at her companion. "Yang. What do you two want?"

"You've been bothering my new roommate," Yang said.

"What? No I haven't."

"Even yesterday, after you left, she was rambling about you asking her on a date. And I just talked to her again about 10 minutes ago."

"Did I ask her on a date?" Weiss thought aloud. "That would explain why she seems to have been avoiding me all day."

"So you have designs on my roommate, do you?"

"What? _No_ ," Weiss said, as if the idea was so incredulous. But both she and Yang knew that she was lying through her teeth.

Yang lightly punched her shoulder. "Come off it."

"So aggressive," Ruby muttered under her breath.

"Look, I don't have a problem with you asking Blake out," Yang said, "but I don't want you to scare her off. She hasn't even been here for two weeks yet, and she doesn't know you the way I know you."

Weiss crossed her arms. "You don't even know me that well."

"I know you as the standoffish, short, spoiled company heiress. That about covers it, I think."

"Excuse me?! I'll have you know that you're wrong, you cocky bi-"

"Guys," Ruby groaned, "do we really have to do this _in line for the sandwich cart?"_

Weiss turned around. The man running the cart was now staring at her impatiently, as if to say, _Stop driving away my business, you crazy lady._

Yang pulled her out of the line, and the trio ventured further down the path.

It was Ruby who quickly restarted the conversation. "Weiss, was I right about what I said the other night? Do you actually _like_ Blake?"

Weiss bit her lip, but nodded.

Ruby practically squealed. "This is so _great!_ And you actually asked her out?"

"Have you been paying attention?" Yang said. "She did!"

"Wait, no. What? No I didn't," Weiss said.

"I was there, girl. Don't lie."

"Then you probably weren't paying close attention yourself," Weiss said. "It wasn't my intention to ask her out, and I now realize that my word choice may not have been ideal during our conversation yesterday. I just wanted to talk her."

"You asked her if she wanted to get something to eat. Probably some sort of dinner-related meal, given the time of day. That sounds like a date to me."

Weiss sighed, her patience for the whole affair stretching thin. "I _understand_ that it may have sounded like that. But I'm also saying that it wasn't what I meant. I just wanted to talk to her."

"What about?" Yang prodded.

"Never you mind."

"You know, you say that you like her, but why are you so adamant about saying that you didn't want to ask her out? Generally, if you like someone that way, you _ask them out_."

"Well, it's just like you said, I suppose. I don't want to scare her off. We were strangers not long ago, so I don't want to make her feel rushed by coming on so soon."

Yang huffed. "That's alright, then."

"Now, in light of information thrown up during this conversation, I'd like to cut this short, so that I can go find Blake and alleviate any fears she may have about my intentions."

"Then you're lucky that I know where she is."

"You do?"

"I spoke to her 10 minutes ago, remember? See, what I didn't say, is that she's looking for you too now."

Weiss grabbed her by the shoulders. "What? What did you say to her?"

" _I_ didn't say anything. She was just rambling about how she felt bad for avoiding you all morning, and she wanted to see you."

Weiss started shaking Yang's shoulders. "Where is she?"

"H-hey, let's lay off the physical contact, yeah-"

Weiss shook harder. "Where is she?!"

"Okay, Weiss, let go of her now," Ruby gently tugged on Weiss's arm.

Weiss shook her off, and kept shaking. "WHERE IS SHE?!"

"Ruby, do something!"

"I-it's no use, Yang! I don't know what to do!"

"SWEAR TO ME!"

"Are you insane, woman?!"

* * *

 

"I'm sorry, what did you do?"

"I just told you."

Blake laughed. "I know, but the idea of it was so ridiculous that I half-expected you to start cartwheeling spontaneously. I can't believe that you made your voice sound like a lawnmower."

Weiss buried her face in her hands. "So embarrassing."

"I don't know if I should be flattered or disturbed that you did such a thing."

"I would feel disturbed, personally."

Blake laughed again. "So, I wanted to talk to you."

"As have I. Are you busy?" Weiss asked, gesturing to the closed door of the darkroom. She'd had no clue that the university even had a darkroom, but she also couldn't say it surprised her. She'd managed to catch Blake walking away from the room after wrangling her whereabouts from Yang, to the distress of Ruby.

Blake shook her head. "No, I just finished up in there a minute ago."

Weiss nodded. "Are you doing darkroom processing for your photography courses?"

"No. That stuff is mostly digital these days. I'm doing this as a passion project more than anything else. I've spent a lot of time in the darkroom since a classmate told me about it, processing negatives that I brought over from Menagerie. I don't have many, because it wasn't a passion of mine back then, which is a shame, because I find the process very interesting. Just before you showed up, I hung up some new prints."

"I'd like to see those sometime," Weiss said quietly.

"Oh," Blake said, taken aback. "Uh, really?"

"Of course I would."

"Well..." Blake felt at a loss. All of a sudden, Weiss was staring at her very intently, blue eyes piercing and boring into her own.

Then, just as quickly as it happened, Weiss moved on like it never had. "So, I'd like to clear some things up," she said, tracking back to the matter at hand. "I understand there was some confusion about yesterday."

Blake blanked for a second. "Uh... oh, yes. Yes! That's right. Confusion, mixed messages, however you want to put it."

"Now now, there's no need to be like that. Let me explain. I didn't mean it to sound like I was asking you on a date. I literally just wanted to talk about some things with you, the way that people generally do regardless of their relationship status."

"Oh. Okay."

Weiss peered at her. "You don't sound alleviated. What's on your mind?"

"Um, nothing really pertinent. But we're hanging out now, so, what did you want to talk about?"

"Just things."

"'Just things'?"

"Yeah. I guess I didn't have to go and manhandle your roommate just for that, right?"

"It's okay. I don't mind talking about 'just things'." Blake shrugged, and added, "And I like talking to you."

Weiss's cheeks painted rosy. "Really?"

"Yeah. You know, my first impression of you was way off. You're actually pretty cool, if a little high-strung."

"Oh. Thank you... I think?"

Blake chuckled. "I meant it as a compliment. So, what have you been up to?"

"Hm?"

"I figure asking what's happened in your life constitutes a conversation about 'just things'."

"Oh, of course. Um, let's see. Classes are good, I suppose. I mean, why shouldn't it be? I just roll through it these days. Study as necessary, and all that. Really dull, isn't it? How about yourself?"

"Well," Blake paused, thinking about the last few nights. "Work's been interesting."

"How come?"

"Oh, just, someone I work with. We've been, ah..." She blushed. "Never mind. I shouldn't say."

All in a moment, Weiss's heart sank into her stomach, and she felt like she'd been hit over the head with a frying pan. A bad feeling gripped her chest, and she struggled to push the concept away. It was a problem that she didn't have to work hard to read Blake in that moment. _So Blake is seeing someone? Well, isn't that a kick in the teeth._ It was like all of her mental and emotional grappling, all of the coming-to-terms of realizing that she liked Blake, all of it had been for naught, because she was too late. All the time she'd spent fretting and worrying about scaring her off, Blake was moving along on her own, in her own life, apparently meeting people who, provided they were male – which Weiss considered likely – were able to, physically, provide Blake with something she could not.

Weiss didn't want to ask any further. If she was thinking rationally, she would do her best to steer away from where the conversation was heading. But, like an idiot, another question fell out of her mouth: "Who are they?"

It sounded more aggressive than it really needed to be, and Blake raised an eyebrow at the sudden change in tone. "What?"

"You heard me. You're seeing someone, is that what you're saying?"

"Is it your business if I'm in a relationship or not?"

Weiss blanched, and fixed her eyes on the ground. "My apologies. I didn't mean to be so aggressive. I... forgot myself. You're right, it's none of my business if you are seeing someone or not."

"Don't worry, I shouldn't have said anything." An interesting thought flickered across Blake's mind, one that seemed strange, but she decided to latch onto it anyway. "Weiss, are you... jealous, perhaps?"

Weiss kept her eyes on the ground, but her mouth fell open slightly. "N-no, of course not," she got out.

Surprising, Blake thought. "It's curious that you feel that way. I don't know why you'd be jealous, honestly."

Weiss looked up, her eyes shimmering. "I deny your accusations of jealousy!"

"And I see through your pauses and hesitations."

"I'm not jealous," Weiss said, shaking her head. "That just makes it feel wrong."

Blake frowned. "Makes what feel wrong?"

"I... yesterday, I spoke with my ex."

"Your ex?"

Nodding, Weiss explained most of what she'd discussed with Pyrrha the other day. She explained the breakup, and why it happened, and mentioned the lack of contact between them in the intervening months. "I told her the truth about it yesterday, after leaving her in the dark and moving on for months."

"And how did she feel about it?"

"Disappointed, I suppose. And I don't blame her. If she weren't so nice, she probably would've slapped me and walked away. I wouldn't have blamed her for that, either."

"So you feel... guilty, don't you? Because you left things murky for so long."

"I do. And, I feel like I still owe her."

"Do you want to get back together with her?"

"No," Weiss admitted. "There's too much ill feeling there, even if neither of us want to admit it to each other. We both know that we can't go back to where we were three months ago. But at the same time, I feel that I can't just 'move on' and rebound. If I do, then what does that make me, and what does it make everything that I talked about with her? A big, fat lie, is what, because then it looks like I only talked to her so she wouldn't be on my back if I found someone new. So you have to understand what I'm saying when I say that I can't be jealous."

"This is entirely confusing."

"You're talking to the person living it."

"Do you wanna find a reason to forget about it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Come with me tonight," Blake offered. "I've got one more shift at the bar before I switch to the library next week, and I can get you in."

"Do you forget who I am?"

"Right. You can probably get in by yourself. But come anyway."

"Why? I already said, I don't want to go hunting for rebounds."

"You don't have to hook up with anyone. Just drink and meet some cool people."

"I'm not sure," Weiss said, but she was wavering.

"I'll be around the whole night. I'll even introduce you to some people I know, if I'm not too busy."

Weiss sighed, and bowed her head.

* * *

 

Patiently, Weiss observed the comings of all manner of folk that flowed into the V Bar. It was a nice enough establishment. Big, but not arrogantly so, and classy enough to accommodate people she was more used to seeing at corporate functions, while also being able to serve as a place that welcomed the more 'common' fellows of Vale's society.

"I think that one woman just winked at me while she licked her lips," Weiss pointed out to the brunette behind the bar. As she watched the tattooed, pierced woman walk away, she wondered, did it summarize her impression so far?

The bartender nodded. "And why not? She obviously likes what she sees. I'm sure she's not the only one in here."

Red dusted Weiss's cheeks as she turned back around to fully face the bar. At that moment, Blake appeared behind the bar, tying her dark hair into a ponytail. She nodded at both of them.

"I see you two have met. Good."

"Well, we've met, but we haven't been formally introduced, have we?" Weiss said.

"Of course," Blake said, and gestured to the brunette bartender. "Weiss, this is Velvet, my friend and supervisor here-"

"Thanks for remembering the 'supervisor' part," Velvet murmured.

"Velvet, this is Weiss, my friend and corporate heiress."

Weiss extended her hand. "Nice to properly meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Velvet said, accepting the handshake. "Which corporation?"

"Schnee Technologies."

"Really?" Velvet's eyes widened. "You found yourself some high company, Blake. Having trouble breathing in the rarefied air up there?"

Weiss furrowed her brow. "Excuse me?"

"I'm only joking," Velvet said quietly. "It really is nice to meet you, Miss Schnee."

"If that's so, then please, call me Weiss. I deal with enough of this 'Miss Schnee' nonsense when I go home."

"Okay, Weiss. What brings you here tonight, other than Blake?"

"Other than Blake, not much, if I have to be honest."

"Hoping to get over your man with a bottle and a little umbrella?"

"Girl, actually," Weiss corrected.

"Oh? Well, we've got something for that as well, I'm sure."

Blake, who had been busying herself for a minute, showed up again, and slid a tall collins glass in front of Weiss. "Try it," she prodded.

Weiss took the cocktail in her hand. The liquid was clear, and a lime slice was wedged onto the lip. Weiss didn't bother examining it further, and raised the glass to her lips. She tried to take a gulp, but immediately began spluttering.

"Good?" Blake asked.

Weiss nodded. "Forgive me. I've only ever done this once before. I'll be fine."

"Okay. I have to start my shift now, so I'll leave you to it. Velvet will be taking care of you while I'm working, but I'll check up on you and call you over now and again to meet some people you might appreciate. Alright?"

Weiss nodded again, and Blake set off to the other side of the bar. Weiss took up her drink, and, this time, sipped from it. _Much better._

* * *

 

"And here we are!" Yang announced, throwing her arms out as she swept into the building.

Ruby followed closely behind her, eager for the night that awaited them. She'd already made up her mind to just go with the flow, and let whatever happened happen. She saw this a chance to have some one-on-one time with Yang, and she wanted to do whatever it took for them to both remember the night.

"Shall I escort you to the bar, Rubes?" Yang gestured.

"Certainly!" Ruby answered, with an appropriate amount of pomp and flourish.

As they sidled up to the bar, and found two unoccupied seats amongst the throng, a familiar face appeared in front of them, on the other side of the bar. "Yang? Ruby? What are you guys doing here?"

Yang's grin was as bright as the morning sun. "Blake! Fancy seeing you here! You never told me you worked here!"

"I told you that I worked at a bar. I didn't say which one because I didn't want to feel partially responsible when you staggered back to campus, just a few shots away from alcohol poisoning. Ruby, why are you here, enabling this insane girl? Are you so eager to drag yourself down to her level? Don't be like that. I see good things for you in the future... and I'm certain that _she_ isn't part of them."

Ruby shrugged. "She invited me," she said. While Yang was busy looking at the special offers board behind Blake, she leaned forward and glared at Blake. "And I'm on a bit of a mission here, so if you screw this up for me, you can kiss tea in our dorm room goodbye," she hissed into Blake's ear.

Blake drew back with wide eyes. "Okay, I didn't realize it was like _that._ So, uh, what can I get you two?"

* * *

 

Ice cubes rattled as Weiss slammed the glass down on the counter. "More, good sir!" she blustered.

Velvet watched her with confusion and shock in her eyes. "Normally, I would, but I don't... what is happening to you right now?"

Weiss looked over herself. She paid particular attention to her hands. "I don't know," she drawled, "but I know that I feel good!"

"Blake!" Velvet called.

"Oh, you calling over your _girlfriend_ to help, are you?" Weiss sneered.

Velvet flinched at the word. "For the last time, she's not my girlfriend! We just like kissing now and again."

Weiss stuck out her tongue, seemingly oblivious to the half-admission.

Blake walked over, drying her hands. "What's the problem?"

Velvet said. "Not long ago we were talking about animal rights and eco-terrorism, and now she's acting like she's swallowed a keg, accusing me of stealing you away from her. What do you know about this?"

"I don't know about _that_ stuff," Blake admitted, "but as for her behavior, she did say that she'd only drunk once before. I guess we should have assumed she had a poor tolerance. How many has she had?"

"More than an inexperienced drinker should. What are you going to do with her? There's only three of us working the bar right now, and I can't spend my whole shift worrying about her potentially causing problems if she's as drunk as she's acting."

"She's only been here for a couple of hours, and she came to get over her ex. I've tried to introduce her to people all night, and she's batted them away. She barely noticed when I brought our friends Yang and Ruby over. She's just hit the bottle all night, which isn't really what I was hoping for her to do. I mean, I invited her and all. I don't want to make her leave. I'll vouch for her, if that's what you need to keep her here."

Velvet opened her mouth to answer but a loud _thunk!_ interrupted her before she could say anything. Weiss's head was now resting on the counter, and she was mumbling under her breath.

Blake shook her head. "You can go, I'll take over with her."

"I'm not going to make you kick her out. Seeing as she's close with you, and she's not actually caused any problems, I'll let you take her in back and get her down. I'll give you 20 minutes, and then I want you back out here for the rest of your shift."

"Thank you, Velvet."

Velvet smiled and nodded as Blake walked out of the bar area and draped one of Weiss's arms over her shoulders.

* * *

 

"You know, Ruby, I'm glad that you came tonight," Yang said, nursing her beer. She'd surprised herself with the amount of self-control she'd displayed – she'd kept her drinks few and far between, and hadn't done any shots. It was strange, but she was doing it for a reason. She glanced at Ruby, who hadn't felt the need to show similar restraint at all, and was buzzing. They had long since moved away from the bar to one of the empty booths around the back. They sat across from each other, letting empty green bottles fill the table between them until Blake or one of the other bartenders came to take them away.

"I'm glad that I came too!" Ruby replied happily. "Thanks for the invite!"

"Yeah. You know, I planned to make this night about two old pals getting together for a night of drinks, but ever since I invited you out, I've noticed something. Something odd, I think, and I wanted to ask you about it, while you're only a little tipsy and not blind."

Ruby took another pull, and set her bottle down. "What is it?"

"Well, you've been practically hanging off of me all day, every time we see each other. What's going on? Why are you playing the 'obsessive fangirl' card? That's not like you, and it bugs me because I've known you so long. I mean, we've literally been friends since preschool. So tell me, what's going on?"

Ruby didn't have to think. They just tumbled out, words that she'd been mulling over for longer than she cared to specify.

"I really like you, Yang. I've been thinking about it a long time, I guess, and I want to be with you, if you'll have me."

Sober, she wondered if she ever could have mustered the courage to say such a thing. But tipsy, probably the rest of her beer away from being drunk, the words were said with no hesitation, and a shrug to accompany them. She didn't feel the weight as they left her tongue, but she thought she could hear them hitting the table with the force of hailstones, shattering the empty bottles between them and filling the space with truth and want.

Yang, on the other hand, felt the full weight of the confession. It was what she'd been dreading. Or so she thought. Could she honestly have looked herself in the eye and told herself that one of her oldest friends had more-than-friendly feelings for her? She would have likely slapped herself, and knocked back a beer to forget the very idea of it. She looked at Ruby's honest, youthful face and felt a rush of conflicting emotions, zinging and coursing through her bloodstream at an astronomically faster rate than the alcohol.

Without warning, Ruby got up and slid over to Yang's side of the booth, scooching up next to her. Yang felt frozen, but couldn't help watching for Ruby's next move. _I want this... and I don't want this... I don't want this..._

When Ruby leaned forward and pressed her mouth to Yang's, Yang captured her lips as a force of habit, more than an act of reciprocation. But then she started kissing back.

_I want this..._

Ruby's lips were soft against her own. To Yang, they felt like something she enjoyed, as opposed to all the rough, meaningless lip contact she'd shared with people she didn't care about.

 _I_ want _this..._

Ruby wasn't rough. She was gentle, kind. Innocent. Things that Yang knew herself not to be. She couldn't compare to Ruby on an emotional level; she felt inferior, less than. And that gave her the words to what she was feeling.

 _I_ want _this... but I don't deserve this._

She broke the kiss, and pulled away, to Ruby's shock and disappointment. "I'm sorry," she breathed, shaking her head. "I... I can't do this."

"W-what?" Ruby whimpered.

"Don't like me, Ruby. Don't make that mistake. You're far too good to cause yourself that pain," Yang said, jumping up out of the booth. "And I couldn't possibly hope to deserve you."

Ruby reached for Yang, but it was futile, as the blonde turned and hurried out of the building with her head down.

The closest thing she could reach for, in lieu of Yang herself, was her beer that she had been nursing and not actually drinking. That just made Ruby feel worse, and the tears prickling her eyes didn't have a lot stopping them.

She grabbed her own beer and finished that one first, before chugging Yang's barely-touched bottle. Then, with nothing else to do, she laid her arms on the table and dropped her tipsy head to rest on them. Then, with one thing on her mind, she sobbed into her shirt sleeves.

"Ruby?"

* * *

 

Weiss wondered if Yang encountered this feeling often, the feeling of aggravating pain radiating from both her stomach and head. She rolled over and fell to the floor, which she immediately regretted. The pangs shot even deeper, and her head felt like it was set to explode.

She could hardly go back to sleep; while the bench upon which she'd slept before was hardly the most comfortable furnishing in the world, it was leagues above sleeping on the floor, and now it seemed too far out of reach. If she tried to grasp it and pull herself up, she predicted that she would likely throw up. So she lay on her back, on the floor, squinting through her eyelids at the fluorescent light fixtures mounted to the ceiling of the room where she found herself.

Footsteps pounded and shook the earth as they drew closer to where she lay. Billowing black hair blocked out her view of the lights, and golden eyes full of concern gazed down at her.

"No offense, Weiss," Blake whispered, "but you look like horrible right now."

Thankful that she'd whispered, Weiss blinked twice for _yes._

Blake cocked her head in thought. She didn't want to move Weiss, but she didn't want her catching a cold by sleeping on the floor of the staff room. She'd barely been lucky enough to find a blanket to throw over her. She made an executive decision.

"Weiss." She was careful to whisper, knowing full well what Weiss was probably feeling. "I'm going to get you up, and get you to the bathroom, okay? I'm telling you so you'll be ready when I help you. One, two, three."

She gently pulled Weiss up, which was easy with her lithe and petite frame. Weiss groaned on the way up, but was too limp otherwise to show any acknowledgement that she'd been moved. She kept her eyes shut.

Blake shouldered much of the weight, holding onto Weiss the same way she'd done out at the bar, when Weiss had been on the verge of passing out. "Just through this door."

"I'm not an invalid," Weiss mumbled, wincing with every word. "I can walk by myself. I've been walking since I was 10 months old."

"I'm sure you have," Blake said, continuing to whisper, "but right now, you're about as good by yourself as when you were 10 months old, so I'm not taking any chances. Here, sit down," she said, pushing Weiss into a chair that some thoughtful soul had decided to leave in the bathroom.

Blake then left the bathroom, leaving Weiss to roll her head around and take in the bathroom, not that there was much distinctive about it.

When Blake came back, the aroma of black coffee wafted in with her. A steaming, insulated travel mug was thrust into her hands, and she brought the elixir to her lips. She sipped the cup dry and refilled it before speaking.

"What's the time?" she asked, when she felt slightly better. "Better" was a relative term, she figured. At least she didn't feel like throwing up anymore.

Blake checked her phone. "Almost 4.00 AM. My shift's been over for 20 minutes now, but I had to take care of Ruby first."

"Ruby?" Weiss said, looking downright confused. "What's she got to do with anything?"

"You didn't notice Ruby and Yang, our friends, when they were trying to talk to you? Oh, probably not," Blake said, getting slightly irritated, "because you were too busy hitting the juice to bother talking to anyone last night."

"Why are you so mad?"

"Sorry. It's not your fault. I understand why you were drinking so heavily, and I don't judge you at all for it. It's just that Ruby was in the worst state when I found her. Crying and buzzed out of her mind, you'd think she'd just been rejected. I had to plead with Velvet to let me take her back here with you. I saw that you had your eyes closed when you got up, so I don't know if you saw her. She was sleeping on one of the other benches in the staff room. I'm going to wake her up soon and take you both back to campus."

Weiss ran a hand through her hair, and refilled her mug, which was empty again. "You say Yang was here? Where was she during all this?"

"I did say that when I found Ruby, she was acting like her love had left her," Blake said, looking grim.

The pieces slowly came together in Weiss's mind. Particularly the fact that she'd shared a number of conversations with Ruby regarding Yang, and what Ruby felt. "Oh no," she groaned. "No, no, no, no, no. That's awful. I feel awful for her. I know how she felt about Yang."

Blake nodded. "So do I, now. Believe me, I'll be discussing the matter with Yang when we get back to campus. Speaking of which, are you feeling better now? Maybe like 'walking around' better?"

"I think so."

"Good. See if you can make it back to the staff room while holding that mug."

"The mug's empty again."

Blake chuckled, shaking her head. "You like your coffee, don't you?" she said as she poured out a refill.

Weiss nodded. "And when I'm hungover as fuck, I like it all the more."

* * *

 

Weiss rolled over in her bed. She was ever so grateful to be back within its confines, even if it would only be for a few hours.

She watched as Blake pottered around the dorm room, making sure Ruby was asleep, that everybody was sure that they didn't have to throw up, that both girls had enough blankets... it went on.

Eventually, Weiss said, "Blake, enough. Your rushing around is making my headache come back."

Blake froze, and looked at her. "I thought you were asleep."

"I don't think I can now. I've been mainlining coffee since I woke up at the bar."

Blake looked around, and back at her. "I just want to make sure that everyone's okay."

"I don't know what's going to happen with Ruby as she goes forward, but I'm sure that if she were lucid, she would be thanking you and reassuring you of her okay-ness. And when I see Yang-"

"I'm not just talking about Ruby."

For the first time in a long time, the silence that fell was heavy, and stifling, like the bed covers tucked around Weiss's body. She shuffled to free up some room, but just made things more unbearable.

"I know you were drunk, Weiss, but some of the things that you said... Velvet told me the things you were saying all night, about her. About me. Do you remember?"

Weiss swallowed, and she gave the slightest of nods.

"And?"

Weiss swallowed again. "And what?" she croaked.

Blake sighed, and sat down on the floor, next to Weiss's bed. "I'm not in a relationship with Velvet, Weiss. We're just friends that drink and occasionally hook up. That's just a thing between us. She's not interested in a relationship, and I don't see her as someone that would be good relationship material for me. I probably should have told you that I was a lesbian, for solidarity's sake if nothing else, so I don't know why that ever escaped me. Maybe because I don't drape it like a cape around my shoulders, but that's just me, and my personality.

"Anyway, there's just one more thing," she went on. "Confirm or refute this for me, Weiss; do you like me?"

"I do," Weiss whispered into her blanket. Her mind was yelling at her to shout the words, proclaim them from the rooftops, but her vocal cords, it seemed, were unwilling to fully cooperate.

"I'm sorry, I actually couldn't hear that."

Weiss cleared her throat. "I do. I... I like you... Blake."

"Now, was that so hard?"

Weiss blinked. "I'm... sorry, what?"

"You were struggling with it, weren't you? The very idea, especially when you'd just wrapped up things with your ex, must have been the most irritating thing. You didn't want to feel like you were besmirching what you had by focusing on me. But guess what. It's okay to like me that way. And you know something? I feel the same way, Weiss Schnee."

"You... you what? You like me?"

"I do. Very much."

Weiss smiled a crooked smile, knowing that this was immediately shaping as one of the best mornings she'd ever seen. "Prove it then. I'm testing you on this," she said.

Oh, yes. This morning would go right up near the top in her mental tapestry. Especially when it came in the form of a beautiful, black-haired, golden-eyed girl leaning forward to kiss her.

 _Fireworks!_ Weiss's heart jumped at the contact. It wasn't much more than a chaste kiss, Blake ducking forward to meet her lips, but suddenly Weiss knew that she wanted it, and more, and would do anything to keep it happening.

Blake gently pulled away. She had a lazy smile of her own adorning her face. "How's that for an answer?"

Weiss nodded. "You pass."

 


	9. Sunday Lunch & Longtime Friends

Weiss sat up in bed, leaning against the wall. If she turned her head slightly, she could see the digital clock telling her that it was 11.30 AM. She disregarded this, however, thinking, _I'm exhausted, and my head is in no state to process notes on business management._ That was enough of an argument, she supposed. And then she remembered, that, oh right, it was _Sunday._ No lectures for her. She mentally shrugged at the point, already resolute as to her intentions.

She watched Ruby though, who appeared to still be sleeping, but she was facing away from Weiss, so she couldn't be sure. Watching the back of Ruby's mat of hair, and the steady rise and fall of the covers, it made her remember the last night. Of course, she knew that it had happened, but as she closed her eyes and the memories flooded through her mind, she couldn't help but wonder what was real, and what wasn't. In particular, there was one, _wonderful_ memory that she desperately wanted to be real, and not the product of some cruel dream or haze.

Looking around, she felt a slight disappointment, that Blake wasn't present in the room. Then she chastised herself, grumbling about the foolishness of such an idea. Did such thinking mean she was smitten? She'd only shared one kiss with Blake, and that may or may not have been a dream. Well, she supposed, it definitely was _a_ dream.

"Ruby? Are you awake?" she called.

There was no response, but Weiss saw a slight twitch of Ruby's shoulder. So, she wasn't asleep.

"Ruby," she said, her tone gentler. "How long have you been awake?"

Again, nothing. And then a meek response: "Couple hours."

"And you've just been laying in bed the whole time?"

Ruby's head bobbed slowly.

Weiss sighed. "Ruby, roll over and look at me."

As if made of lead, Ruby roll over onto her other side, so that Weiss could see her sad little face. Weiss was relieved that she didn't look like she'd been crying throughout the morning, but her eyes were bloodshot, and her hair was matted, sticking up in all directions where she'd been pressing it against her pillow.

"How you feeling?" Weiss tried.

Ruby shrugged.

"Talk to me, Ruby. I know what happened last night with Yang, and you don't need to hold anything back. I understand what you're going through."

"Do you?" Ruby said, shrugging again. "Have you ever been rejected before? I wouldn't guess that you have, Miss Perfect-and-Proper-Confident-Lesbian you are. You could probably get anyone you set your sights on, without a second thought. You could have _Blake_ falling at your feet if you tried! I haven't been rejected before. But then, I was always the one asking the boys to go out with me, and why would any boy turn that down, right? Then, the second I start liking a girl..."

"Hurts, doesn't it?" Weiss said, ignoring the stinging remarks and the pang she felt at a mention of Blake. Ruby nodded again. Weiss went on, "Believe it or not, I _have_ been rejected before. The one that stung the most was when I was still in my third year of high school, about to turn 16, and I'd just come to terms with my feelings for other girls. Anyway, you can guess what happened in that situation: I confessed to one of my then-friends, who I'd been crushing on for a number of weeks since my self-realization. She spent the rest of our high school lives avoiding me."

"Did you ever see her again?"

"Of course. I saw her multiple times after I confessed. I saw her awkwardly averting her gaze from me, turning a corner in the hallway to avoid crossing my path. It was _so_ ridiculous. I haven't spoken to her since that day."

"Well, if you liked her, why didn't you chase after her? You could've been happy. Or you could've at least got some closure."

Weiss nodded. "I agree. I didn't chase after her, and I wasted so much time and energy wondering why she was hurting me like that. Now, I've moved on, but the memory still feels sad."

Ruby lifted her head up.

"Do you see what I'm doing here? I'm telling you not to make the mistakes I did. You told me that you and Yang have been friends forever. I was close friends with that girl, and my inability to act left me in the dark. Even if you can't get to being more-than-friends with Yang, then at least you still have the chance to potentially mend your friendship."

"And if I can't? What if it all fails, and Yang doesn't want to have anything to do with me anymore?"

"It's a chance that you need to take, Ruby. No matter what happens, I'm sure it will make out to be a constructive experience, sooner or later."

Ruby turned back over, facing away from Weiss again. "I'll think about it."

Weiss rolled her head around, and sighed. "Well, if you ever want to talk about it, I'm around for advice. And you should talk to me about it," she added, as she got up and made for the bathroom, with all intentions of taking an overdue shower.

Slinking back under her covers, Ruby resolved that no, she wouldn't. After all, she was a big girl, wasn't she? Her parents had died when she was only young, so what did she do? She'd lived in an apartment with her uncle who almost always seemed to be absent, keeping her head in her studies for years. And where had that lead? To a full scholarship to one of the best universities in the world, and a chance to make something of herself, to prove to herself that she could do anything, no matter what life threw at her. Surely, she supposed, this business with Yang, and girls, surely it was just another curveball that life was pitching her? If so, then she knew immediately that she wanted to get through it on her own. Or, at the very least, she would try her damnedest.

* * *

 

Feeling cleansed in more than just a bodily sense, Weiss turned off the shower and stepped out into the steam floating around the bathroom. The room temperature was warm, so there wasn't much of it, and the reflection in the mirror was still visible. She caught herself glancing at her reflection as she reached for the towel rack. Steadfast, she kept staring, ignoring the towel rack. She instinctively and self-consciously clasped her hands in front of her body, at waist level.

She looked odd after a hot shower, she thought, with her skin a raw pink, and her hair a curtain falling down around her, sticking to her body, in so many different and varying shades of white. Being cautious to keep her eyes trained on the upper half of her body, she raised one hand to her hair, and wove her fingers through part of her locks. The waterlogged strands separated with ease, a result of a strict conditioning regime. She placed the same fingers over her lips, feeling the contours, the curves, and where they separated for when she felt the need to open her mouth. She knew they were in good condition, as much as the rest of her body, and it made her smirk briefly, about how Blake might have felt kissing them. If that had indeed happened.

She wondered sometimes, about how she maintained this body, and her physical appearance. She knew that she'd been granted some level of beauty, and it also appeared to her that a certain amount of give-and-take had occurred in her development, particularly in the departments of her height, and her bust, and her thin frame.

A knocking on the door – of the dorm room, not the bathroom – roused her attention, sharply. The person knocked four times, followed by a pause of exactly ten seconds, before three more knocks sounded.

Weiss reached for the towel rack again, this time actually taking one, and wrapped it around her body, under her armpits. She left the bathroom, and checked Ruby's bed. Either her roommate seemed to be ignoring the knocking, or she'd fallen into a deep coma. Weiss assumed the former.

"Coming!" Weiss said, padding her way to the door. She opened it and immediately blushed.

"Weiss, good morning... or midday, I suppose," Blake said, surprised at the young woman who had come to receive her at the door.

Weiss shivered, all too aware of her attire. Blake herself was wearing a gray, long-sleeved shirt, with black jeans. Her hair was the usual, wavy, black cascade, and she had a light amount of her trademark lavender eye shadow. Casual and easy, but still alluring. Curiously, she also wore a discreet, black backpack. "Hello, Blake," Weiss said, a little off-put. "What can I do for you?"

Blake raised an eyebrow at the formal attitude bundled with the towel. "I came to ask if you wanted to have lunch together, but you seem busy, so..."

Weiss's eyes widened. "No, no! I just got out of the shower, that's all! Uh, come inside," she said, opening the door wider for Blake. "I just need to put some clothes on." She turned and started walking back in the direction of the bathroom, when a hand grasped her wrist. She faced Blake, who had a small smile on her face.

"You look fine, from where I stand," said Blake. She closed the distance between them with a single step, planting her lips on Weiss's cheek. "Beautiful, even," she added, pulling back.

Weiss's mouth was an "o" shape, like she'd been about to say something but had blanked. "So, it wasn't a dream?" she whispered.

Blake shook her head, and brought her hand to Weiss's face, tracing the definition of her cheek. "No, it wasn't."

Weiss carefully peeked up at Blake's alluring, golden eyes, shimmering with the promise of undiscovered wonder. She staggered back, breaking the contact between them. "I-um, I... have to... just..." she stammered, flustered. "I have to put some clothes on before... before we talk about this, okay?"

Blake nodded, amused.

"Okay..." Weiss breathed to herself, before she seemed to remember what she had to do, and quickly dashed back inside the bathroom.

Noticing a lumpy shape with Ruby's hair on one of the beds, Blake walked over, and saw Ruby herself, curled up beneath the duvet.

"Mornin', Blake," Ruby greeted, her voice flat. Unusually so, Blake thought, but understandable, given recent events.

"Hello, Ruby. Still feeling down?" she asked.

Ruby nodded. "A little better though."

"Really?" Blake said. "That's good news. Did Weiss cheer you up?"

Ruby shrugged, preferring not to get into her internal monologue of ten minutes previous. "Something like that," she said.

Blake sat down on the bed, laying her hand where she assumed Ruby's shoulder was – it was hard to tell from above the thick blanket. "Do you want me to give you some advice?"

"No, that's okay... I'll manage it myself."

That surprised Blake. So, Ruby wanted to take this mess upon her own shoulders. Admirable, Blake thought, if a little isolationist. "Hm, okay then. But just know, I'll be around if you need someone to talk to," she said, patting the pot on the duvet.

"You're patting my boob," Ruby cut in.

Blake withdrew her hand immediately. "Sorry."

"S'okay. So, are you and Weiss together now?"

Blake shifted. "Where did that come from all of a sudden?"

"Y'all were talking in hushed tones over there. I think I saw you kiss her on the cheek and touch her face as well."

Ruby's tone and demeanor made Blake unsure as for how to answer. She didn't want to say anything that might set Ruby off, so she tried the safe approach. "How would it make you feel if we were together?"

"I asked you first."

"I know you did. Look, I'm fond of Weiss, and as far as I know, she reciprocates my feelings. But to tell the truth, we need to talk about it first. The last time we spoke, this morning, she fell asleep literally three minutes after I... kissed her," Blake explained, blushing at the last part. "So, I'm going to have lunch with her. It'll give us a chance to talk in a settled environment."

"Sounds like a plan. But you know, you could always talk to her here instead. I can leave, if that's what you want."

"I'm not going to ask you to leave if you don't want to."

"No, go ahead," Ruby said, sitting up for the first time in the day. "Gives me an excuse to move. Can't lay around, all depressed, like they do in the movies. I'm gonna be active," she said, forming her hand into a fist.

Blake smiled. "Good for you."

"Yeah! I'm gonna go out! I'm gonna keep living my life! After all, it's just one rejection, right? You move on!" she said enthusiastically.

"That's right," Blake said, glad to see Ruby looking so determined.

"But you know what I'm gonna do first?" Ruby said, pointing up. "I... think I'm going to go back to sleep."

"What?"

"Yeah. I'm... a little tired."

"Oh. Well, okay, then," Blake said, confused by the sudden change. "I guess I'll just go ahead and take Weiss out then."

"Mm, sounds like a plan," Ruby murmured, snuggling back inside her covers.

"Sorry I took so long," Weiss called out, exiting the bathroom. She was now dressed in a cream sweater, a navy-blue, mid-thigh skirt, and black stockings. Her hair, which she took to leaving down whenever she got the chance lately, looked like the usual sheet of white it always was, if it still looked a little damp from her shower.

"No, don't apologize," Blake said, her eyes hungrily devouring every inch of Weiss's figure. "I did say you looked just fine wearing nothing but a towel. But now? You look very nice indeed."

"T-thank you. But... stop distracting me!" Weiss said, blushing with something akin to anger. "Now, why are you here again? I thought you said something about lunch."

Blake stood up. "I did," she said, leading Weiss out of the dorm room and into the hallway. She closed the door behind them. "Ruby's acting very strangely. She brushed me off when I would have liked to give her some advice. Now I think she's going to try and get through this Yang thing on her own."

"She seemed to listen to me, but I'm not sure how much of it she took on board. It's her first rejection, so I think she's feeling a little conflicted about what to do at the moment."

"Is that a good thing for her to do? To try and take it on by herself? Surely, she'll get lost if she's never had the experience before, won't she?"

"I don't know," Weiss admitted. "But I know we can't leave her alone."

"No, of course not."

"So, we'll keep an eye on her. If she won't accept our advice directly, then maybe we just need to nudge her towards a better opinion of herself."

Blake linked hands with Weiss, who accepted the gesture without seeming to notice it. They began walking down the hall towards the stairwell, lightly swinging their hands in the space between them.

"But what is the right direction?" Blake wondered aloud.

Weiss paused in step. "Well, for her to be happy, of course."

"I know that," Blake said, rolling her eyes. "But would her happiness include being with the one she wants?"

"Yang." Weiss nodded. "I guess that's not for us to decide. Have you spoken to Yang yet?"

Blake shook her head, and they continued on to the stairs. They took each step down carefully, keeping in mind that they were linked to each other now. "She didn't come back to our room last night. But I suppose I should've expected her to spend the night elsewhere. She must've known that I would find out, and that I'd have something to say about it as well."

Weiss scoffed. "I still don't know what Ruby sees in her."

"Don't be like that," Blake chided. "Yang is a good person, believe it or not, and I highly doubt that she wanted to hurt Ruby. It doesn't change that what she did was rash, hasty and unfair, but I've lived with her for about two weeks now. She's a nice person, with good intentions – she just isn't always able to express them in the smartest of ways."

"That's your impression, then," Weiss huffed.

"What I'm saying is that if Yang reciprocating Ruby's feelings makes Ruby happy, then why can't we ensure that it happens?"

"I see what you're trying to do, and I have no interest in playing 'Love Guru' with you. I just want to see Ruby. However that happens, we'll see. But like I said, it's not for us to engineer anything. The most we can do is keep a careful eye on things."

"If you say so," Blake said, unsure.

"Hey," Weiss murmured, looking at Blake. "Trust me," she said, squeezing her hand.

Blake nodded. "I will."

"Speaking of us," Weiss spoke up, "Why did you want to talk to me today?"

"Well, before I answer your question, let me just say, _that_ was the worst segue I've ever heard," Blake pointed out, smirking wryly at Weiss. "But I just wanted to talk to you, mainly in light of what happened when we got back to campus... when we..."

"When we..."

They glanced away momentarily, neither wanting to specify exactly what had happened, but both knowing what the other was referring to.

"Anyway," Blake quickly went on, "we can talk when we get something to eat. This isn't conversation for the stairwell, I think."

"Okay. Where are we going?"

"Well, do you know Lie Ren?"

 _Lie Ren._ Weiss remembered the name. Lie Ren was the boyfriend of resident airhead, Nora Valkyrie, who in turn was also the roommate and friend of one Pyrrha Nikos. "I do indeed know Ren." She explained the various degrees of separation that connected them, and Blake nodded.

"Yeah, okay, so then you know he can cook, right?"

"I do," Weiss said, a smile growing on her face.

"I thought I'd ask him nicely if he could prepare a bit of a midday meal for us."

"Are you serious?" Weiss said, as they finally reached the ground floor and stepped outside into the sunshine. They began walking across the grassy, park-like courtyard.

Blake nodded, and pointed over her shoulder at the backpack she was wearing. "I picked it up from him on the way over. I was kind of hoping to share it in your room, but at the same time, if Ruby wants to be left alone right now..." she trailed off, feeling it was a conversation they didn't need to go back over.

"That's okay. I'm happy to have it out here."

"That's surprising."

" _With you_ , I meant."

They stopped in front of one of the trees which randomly dotted this area of the courtyard, and Blake shrugged off her backpack. Out of it, she pulled a square blanket, and laid it down on the grass. They sat down together, as Blake pulled out two containers and the necessary amount of cutlery. She handed one of the containers to Weiss, who snapped the lid open. Steam rose up off the food within.

Weiss smiled. "Smells very good, indeed."

"He told me that it's his own dish, a recipe which he has been developing since he was five years old."

"That seems consistent with what I know about him. Pyrrha told me once that he's been cooking for a very long time, almost as long as he can remember."

Blake took a bite of some of the meat, and swallowed. She might have audibly moaned, it was that indescribably good. In fact, as she noticed Weiss sniggering at her, she surmised that she had indeed moaned.

"I'm sorry, but that sounded ludicrously cute. Did you just purr?"

"What? Don't be ridiculous. I'm not some oversized cat."

"It is great food, though, I'll give you that."

"Mm."

They ate a few more forkfuls in comfortable silence. The courtyard was eerily serene around them, with the sound of the leaves rustling in the breeze resonating loudest of all. It was a Sunday, and other people had clearly taken the opportunity to hole themselves up in their rooms, studying and the like. As such, they were, amazingly, the only people hanging around the normally-buzzing courtyard.

"So, how do you feel?" Blake eventually asked, putting down her fork.

Weiss swallowed. "About what?"

Blake waved her arms around her, in a sweeping motion. "You. Me. All of this. Is it something that you want?"

"Of course. Why?"

Blake picked at a loose thread on the sleeve of her shirt. "Because I'm remembering what we talked about yesterday. About that stuff with your ex..."

Weiss stared, and also put down her fork. "You're worried that I think this is a rebound for me."

"No! Not exactly. I'm worried that you have those feelings of guilt. I don't want you to feel like you're invalidating what you talked about with your ex by being with me, you know."

Weiss nodded, slowly. "I see. To be honest, I hadn't thought of that all day, until now."

"I'm sorry to bring it up, but I want to be clear, that I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

"But the thing is..." Weiss sighed. "I don't... I don't actually _feel_ uncomfortable. I feel fine. Happy, even, because of this time I'm spending with you. What does that mean? Does it mean that I was wrong? That my _fears_ were wrong? And what does it say about... about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I worried that meeting someone new would only make me feel guilty about what I said to Pyrrha... but here I am with you, and, like I said... it wasn't even on my mind." Weiss didn't say that it might mean she was already having a good feeling about Blake.

Blake reached out and took Weiss's hand. "So, are you okay? Do you want to do this?"

Weiss looked up again at Blake's eyes. This time, they were mixed with concern, and uncertainty, but Weiss could see something else lurking beneath. _Wanting._ Blake wanted this to happen. Weiss looked down at their connected hands, then back up, and huffed with mock impatience. "Just kiss me already."

Blake did as she was told.

* * *

 

The weekend had come at a good time, Blake thought. Work, in both the educational and job sense, had run her hard during the week. Being able to spend the day recharging, and hanging around Weiss, had brightened her mood considerably since the morning, when she'd come to the conclusion that Yang was trying to avoid her.

The door opened and shut. She looked up from the book she was reading, at her desk at the other side of the room, and saw a haggard Yang shuffling in.

"Blake. I thought you would be asleep by now," Yang said, as she slumped down on her bed.

"It's twenty-past-eight," Blake said, crossing her arms. "I think you were hoping, rather than wondering. Where have you been since last night?"

Yang shrugged. "I stayed in the city, at a friend's apartment. I woke up, maybe... early afternoon?"

"Were you drinking today?"

"Does it make a difference?"

Blake sat down on her own bed, and looked Yang squarely in her tired eyes. "No, I suppose it doesn't."

"I know what you're going to say, and I don't want to talk about it, okay?"

"Why not?"

"Why do you think? I don't need you telling me how dumb I was, how much I hurt Ruby. I know now, okay? Do you want me to say I feel terrible about it? Because I do, you know."

"Then why did you do it? Even if you didn't want to reciprocate, then you could have at least let her down a little gentler."

Yang rolled over, away from Blake's stern gaze. "I said, I don't want to talk about it."

"Ruby's my friend, Yang. She's been _your_ friend since you were both little girls. Has it ever occurred to you, how she might feel about you? Did it occur to you, in that moment at the bar last night, to even consider her feelings? Or did you make the conscious decision to only think of yourself? You owe her much more than some clichéd, selfish bullshit like 'I don't deserve you' or whatever it was you told her."

Yang was silent, but Blake saw the back of her broad shoulders shaking. She went over and sat down on Yang's bed, next to the mess it belonged to. She peeked over Yang's back, and saw tears rolling down her cheeks, her face crumpled in a sobbing, sorry state.

Blake had seen enough. She turned her gaze away, and rested a hand on Yang's head. "It'll be okay," she muttered, softly. "It'll be okay. But you need to fix it, yeah?"

Yang nodded, sniffling. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry... I'm really sorry, you know. I... I don't want to feel like this. I've been feeling like this all day..." She took some shaky breaths. "I don't wanna feel like this anymore."

"I'm not the one you need to tell this to," Blake said, caressing Yang's hair in a gesture of consolation. "But I'll listen if you really want to talk. Do you want to now?"

Yang looked up at Blake, the tear tracks just starting to dry. "I'm scared, Blake. I love her. I think I always have, as the years went by, and I just didn't realize it. Is that what happens with close friends? Last night, I didn't realize it. It scared me, how... _real_ it all seemed. How easy it was, to be kissed by her and to kiss her back, how much I wanted it... it was like I couldn't believe it was happening, and then it hit me all at once."

Blake nodded, feeling an air of sympathy for what a miserable situation this all was. "Talk to me, Yang."

 


	10. Risk Assessment & Instant Noodles

"And that's class for the morning," the professor announced.

Blake compiled her notes and slotted them into her bag, next to her tablet. She joined the rear of the tiny group filing out of the room. She was one of out of seven students in this class, fellow beings who either needed this Monday morning timeslot or wanted it.

She'd tried her best to pay attention throughout the lecture – and she'd succeeded, for the most part – but she was still thinking about her conversation with Yang the last night.

Her roommate had had a great deal of stories to share. As it turned out, drinking was the common theme throughout, and most of them ended with an awful-sounding one night stand or a bad hangover.

Blake had concluded that she could understand Yang's thought process and reasoning to come to a feeling of, "I don't deserve anyone better than I am," but at the same time, she still maintained that it was a selfish attitude, and didn't excuse any of what Yang had done to Ruby.

One story in particular was an answer to a question that Blake had wondered about Yang since moving to Beacon, the story of why she hadn't had a roommate for four months until Blake showed up.

"So, my last roommate was a girl named Skye Lasette," Yang had begun, wiping at her eyes with her bed sheet. "We met at the start of the semester, when we were assigned this room.

"We always rubbed wrong. She hated that I went out and drunk so much. I hated that she was so self-righteous and stuck-up. Ugh, she was an incredible bitch. Not to say that I wasn't difficult myself, but there are just those people who feel like they need to use their own negativity to bring others down with them. That was this girl.

"So anyway, it was two months into our sharing the room when it went down. I'd gone to a bar and picked up a girl. It was the first time I'd picked up a girl in a couple years. Skye had only ever known me to hook up with guys, and you know... she'd give me a lecture, and some disapproving stares, but she never flipped out, and she was okay with leaving the room. That was one thing I didn't mind about her. But then I bring back this girl... she completely lost her shit. It was some of the most hateful stuff I've ever heard, to be honest, completely out of nowhere. I don't think I want to go into exactly what she said, but I think you get the idea when it comes to homophobia. In the end, she yelled at me to get out and take the girl with me, but I rightly stood my ground.

"So we got into it. The fight, and the screaming, it woke up the entire floor, I guess, and someone called campus security in to break us up."

At that point of the story, Yang had seemed visibly distressed. It was as if remembering the vitriol of her former roommate had deeply affected her. She'd taken a few moments to compose herself, during which Blake handed her a glass of water. Yang thanked her, and went on with the conclusion of the story: she and Skye Lasette had been called in front of the administrative board to explain themselves. Skye was thrown out of Beacon for violation of university policies regarding hate speech and discrimination. Yang, being the victim of said discrimination, and the victim of a physical attack – which Skye had started, for the record – had been handled with more care. However, the ad board had determined that punishment still had to be meted out, so they gave her three months of academic probation, and rescinded her roommate privilege. After the probationary period had ended, the university went back to looking for a roommate for her, and decided on a transfer girl from Menagerie, one Blake Belladonna, who was set to commence studies at Beacon the next month.

Blake found it a fascinating story. In itself, it told her a lot about Yang. For instance, why she tended to not bring her dates back. Because of this experience, it seemed to Blake that Yang had it in her head that bringing a date back to her own room, particularly a girl, would end up badly. Maybe it wasn't the entire reason, but Blake could see it being part of the reason.

It also reminded her of how disturbing human nature could be. It made her shudder, not entirely confident anymore about Weiss's situation with her family. If there were still people in the world who held such an outdated view, that two people of the same gender couldn't be together, or that it was wrong for them to be together, and they defended it with so much hate and passion, then how could Blake so simply believe that Weiss's family wouldn't be any different?

Of course, she wouldn't voice these concerns to Weiss. She didn't want to plant any doubt in the girl, not when she was so nervously trying to build up the confidence to have the conversation with her family. And Blake didn't know for sure, anyway, that they would be so horrible. If that was the case, then she was sure that Weiss would have warned her.

She told herself that she was being irrational, nervous. She would be by Weiss's side when the time came, and it would go fine. She hoped.

The rest of Blake's Monday proceeded without much drama. Lunch was spent with Weiss and Ren, where they had promptly thanked and commended him for his cooking. Weiss then proceeded to make a fool of herself, spilling coffee all over herself. She'd warned Blake to keep it a secret – especially from Yang – with the promise of swift and terrible punishment. Needless to say, Blake did not relish the idea of not being able to kiss Weiss, so she would indeed do her best to keep Weiss's horribly embarrassing secret.

After lunch, she'd spent the afternoon in her dorm room, trying to shake Yang out of her bed. It wasn't like the Ruby situation, she'd realized – whereas Weiss's roommate had been moping in bed the other day, Yang was genuinely sleeping, and no amount of poking and pinching and prodding and urging on Blake's part was able to move her. It appeared to Blake that Yang was still exhausted from their lengthy chat during the night, as well as the day she'd spent out in the city, so she supposed it was fine.

After taking a nap of her own for a couple hours, she took off, back into the city, to start her first library shift of the week. It had started with a lot of activity, with the college students who lived off-campus coming in for an hour's intense study.

The activity had begun to wind down towards 10.00 PM, and people went home, students and library workers alike. But Blake stayed, being one of the few people who had no problem running the graveyard shift, as opposed to the older staff, with their families and children to go home to.

By midnight, cleaning was done with, and Blake no longer had any duties to do for another two hours. She wound up perusing the shelves of the parenting and family sections, making sure everything was ordered. She did her best to just scan the numbers and letters, because she knew that if she started the reading the spines, then she would want to read. Her eyes, however, kept flicking back to a thin book on the middle shelf. _For Parents with a Lesbian Daughter,_ the spine read.

How heavy-handed, Blake mused. That was all she allowed herself to think about it, because the book honestly intrigued her. If she thought any more about it, then she would be sitting at a desk and reading it within a minute. That wouldn't happen. She liked to think her resolve was stronger than that, even when it came to her passion of books.

She finished sorting the books in the aisle, and strolled out.

 _Well, I suppose a chapter or two won't kill me_.

Two minutes after turning on her heel and taking the book back to the reception desk, and opening it, she realized that her resolve, as it turned out, left a lot to be desired when it came to her passion of books.

It was important, though, she objected. It would help prepare her for Weiss's family, wouldn't it? Of course, it could only help her. And if there was some good advice, then she could always impart such words of wisdom to Weiss. It was her, after all, not Blake, that was in the closet to her family.

She sat back in her desk-chair and smiled smugly, satisfied with her rambling rationalizations. Then she remembered that she had to actually _read_ the book to dig up any potential wisdom first.

* * *

 Tuesday morning was graced by another unseasonal patch of rain. Weiss woke up to the gray sky and the heavy downpour. It was one of those moments where she _thought_ she'd been hearing the noise while asleep, but she wasn't sure, because then was she really _just_ waking up, or had she actually been awake, consciously able to hear the sound of rainfall for hours already?

Such thinking, she concluded, had no place in the morning.

"Good morning," came Ruby's voice from somewhere behind her.

Weiss sat up, discarding the slew of random neurological observations and focused instead on the usual, pleasant scent of coffee wafting towards her. Ruby stood above her, and held a warm mug in front of her.

"Morning," Weiss replied, accepting the offer. "Thank you. You made coffee this morning?"

"Obviously," Ruby said, as she walked over to her desk. She busied herself, organizing her textbooks. "I've got a lecture in half an hour," she explained.

"Okay." Weiss cocked her head as she watched Ruby move around, curious. "You... how are you feeling today? You were pretty snippy with me yesterday," she said, referring to their few, brusque exchanges. Yesterday, the day after Blake had taken her out to the courtyard for lunch and they'd discussed the topic of Yang and Ruby, it was back to lectures and classes, so they hadn't seen a lot of each other until the night came. And then Ruby had seemed withdrawn, not wanting to get into a conversation longer than a few lines. She'd ignored Weiss when she'd asked how she was doing, and had just seemed unreachable.

"Sorry," Ruby said, as if that one word could excuse her conduct. "It wasn't you, Weiss, I swear. I just had a lot on my mind, is all."

"It's fine. But do I have to remind you that I'm available to talk if you need me?"

"You don't have to remind me at all, Weiss. And don't worry. I'll be fine."

Weiss set down her coffee, and got out of bed. She walked over to Ruby and gently slipped her into a hug. "Don't you get it, you dork?" she said, amused. "You're one of my best friends. I'll _always_ worry about you, okay? Just remember, that I'm here."

"Thank you," Ruby said, then cleared her throat: "Um, Weiss?"

"Yes, dork?"

"I have to finish getting ready to go."

"Oh," Weiss said, and released her. "Sorry. It's raining, you know," she said, noticing Ruby's cutoff shorts and t-shirt.

"I know. Like I said, I'm not ready to go yet. Speaking of which, have you seen my sweatshirt?"

"Which one?"

"The one I lent you yesterday. The red-and-black zip-up one."

"Oh." Weiss looked nervous. "About that..."

"What did you do to my sweatshirt, you fiend?"

"Hey! Don't call me a fiend! It wasn't anything bad, anyway. I just spilt some coffee on it during lunch yesterday, so I took it down with our laundry last night. I'll go pick it up later, okay?"

"How much did you spill?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Weiss..."

"I was sitting at a bench with Blake and Ren," Weiss explained. "You know, one of the ones that's got the bench seat on both sides, with the table in the middle? And Ren can be a funny guy, you know? You get him going, and he becomes the king of mundane observations. So I was laughing at something he said, and I knocked my coffee cup over and spilled all down my front."

"Did you scream like a little girl?"

"I refuse to answer this line of questioning."

Ruby shot her a conspiratorial smirk. "I can ask Blake, if I need to."

Weiss scoffed. "Go ahead. She knows the consequences for giving up something so embarrassing." Ruby's smirk grew wider, and Weiss hastily went on, "That is, if it even happened. Which it _didn't."_

Ruby sighed. "And you call me a dork."

After another ten minutes, she left for class, leaving Weiss with an interesting question of breakfast.

She decided to heat something up, for a change. One of the many cups of instant noodles that Ruby flooded their room with. It was hardly nutritious, but on the few occasions she'd had it, Weiss found it to be a satisfying meal. Sure, it was a far cry from the magical wonder that Ren had crafted, but it was still food.

Her phone chimed as she ate, the screen flashing with Blake's name. She opened the message:

_Morning. :)_

Weiss smiled. Much like herself, Blake wasn't one to blindly agree with the arbitrary association of physical actions to letters – _in what universe do the letters "x" and "o" mean "kiss" and hug?"_ she thought – but they both agreed that use of punctuation and symbols to represent facial expressions was an obvious stroke of genius.

 _Morning to you too,_ she wrote. _Where are you, so far away that you can't come here and be with me in person?_

_Towards the end of my lecture._

_Oh, okay. How was the library last night?_

_It was... interesting. I found a book about us._

That confused Weiss. _What do you mean, about us?_

_About lesbians, I mean. More specifically, parents and family of lesbians._

Weiss nodded slowly, processing the information. _What did you learn from it?_

 _Hm. Not much that I didn't already assume. It really didn't tell me anything about how a family might react to the stage of coming out – not that I was expecting it to, mind you – but it really made it out to be a case-by-case matter. But why should I be telling you what to expect from your family? They are_ your _family, after all._

Weiss pondered the matter, as she sipped hot broth from the foam cup. _Mmm. These are some good instant noodles..._

Blake didn't respond for a minute. When she did, it teemed with confusion: _What? I'm sorry, are you still talking to me? I thought we were talking about lesbianism and parenting... what's this about instant noodles?_

Weiss blanched. _Sorry,_ she texted. _Call me when you get out?_

Her phone chimed again, only ten seconds after that message. "Hey," she said.

"Well, hello there," Blake's voice filtered through the speaker. "Class let out just now. So, what's this about instant noodles?"

"Oh. I'm eating breakfast."

"And you're eating instant noodles?" Blake sounded almost incredulous. "You remember that, just yesterday, we were thanking Ren for one of the greatest meals ever. Of all time."

Weiss shrugged, even though Blake couldn't see her. "What can I say? Food is still food, at the end of the day."

"Right. So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Maybe about how we can just waste time and money talking about instant noodles over the phone," Weiss said, swallowing a noodle.

"Mm, I don't consider it to be a waste if I'm talking to you." Weiss swore she could feel Blake smiling like an idiot on the other end.

"I _can't_ believe you just actually said that!" Weiss said, blushing. "You know, you've been really flirty with me since Sunday."

"Why shouldn't I be? We're together now, aren't we?"

"Of course we are. But there's no need to be so embarrassingly sickening _over the phone."_

"So, back to the book..."

"Of course."

"I brought it back from my shift. I'm coming back now, and I'll give it to you."

"How far away are you?" Weiss stood up, and walked over to the window, before feeling like an absolute fool. _Of course_ she wouldn't be able to see Blake walking by the window.

"I can see our building."

"Do you want to come over here?"

"I was going to anyway. You didn't have to call me."

"Oh, just shut up and get over here, Belladonna," she snapped, playfully, and hung up the call.

She sat back down with her noodles, and gently blew on the laden fork she raised in front of her mouth. As she ate, she felt a warm rush of gratitude for Blake. Even though it was a fairly simple gesture, she'd been thinking about Weiss's situation. Weiss herself didn't know what to expect, but here was Blake, who at least had a range of ideas.

She thought about her family. Her father had called recently, telling her that they planned to come to Vale to visit her. She'd offered to go to them, but they'd shot her down. It was best for her to stay right where she was, apparently. He said that they were coming the weekend after next, and they'd be staying in a villa, on the outskirts of the city – the outskirts opposite to Beacon's location.

The first thing that Weiss had thought after ending the call was that that would be the day. She would go with Blake to visit her parents, and this conversation would finally happen.

There was a knock on the door, and Blake strolled in, without waiting. "Morning again," she said, walking over to Weiss with a smile on her face.

Weiss got up and walked towards her, also smiling. "Morning again," she echoed. They met with a quick kiss and hug, before Weiss dragged her over to her bed. They sat down, and Weiss held the cup towards Blake. "Want some? Not these ones, of course. I'll make you a fresh cup if you want..." She looked down at the contents of the cup. "As fresh as this stuff can get, anyway," she muttered.

"Thank you," Blake smiled. As Weiss got back up to boil some more water, Blake reached into her bag and pulled out the _Lesbian Daughter_ book. "Here's the book," she said, waving it in the air. "I'll leave it here if you want to read it."

"How long can I have it for?"

Blake shrugged. "The normal length of time that one can borrow a book from the library. Three weeks."

"You can't do better than that? For me?" Weiss joked.

"It's about 170 pages," Blake said. "If I can read the whole thing during the witching hours of my shift, then you can definitely read it in three weeks."

"Well, thank you, anyway," Weiss said, as the water finished boiling. She prepared the cup and walked it back to the bed.

Blake took the cup in her hands. "Smells good, for what it's worth," she said.

Weiss sat on the bed across from Blake, her legs crossed. "So, I've just been thinking..."

"Yes?"

"My family is visiting the week after next, right? They want to visit me on campus, but I'm thinking that we should take the initiative... I'm thinking we should go to them, and get this over with."

Blake reached for her hand, and took it. "Are you sure? You don't want to wait longer?"

"Do you?"

"No. It's not my decision. I'm asking if _you_ think you're ready."

Weiss took a deep breath, nodding. Slowly, she looked Blake in the eye. "I am. And I know that if you're with me, then it'll be fine."

Blake smiled, wide. She raised Weiss's hand, and pressed her lips to the back of it. "I'm proud of you. You're sitting there on this bed, in a tank top and shorts, with your legs crossed like you're still in elementary school, with half a cup of instant noodles there in your hand, and I feel nothing but pride and happiness looking at you."

Weiss looked down at her lap, blushing intensely. "How is it," she croaked, "that we've been together for three days, and you're already talking like the sappiest, most smitten person on the face of Remnant?"

"Do you want me to stop?"

"I didn't say that."

"Right."

"So," Weiss went on. "Ruby seems better, but I'm not entirely sure."

"How so?"

"Yesterday, on the off chance that I saw her, she was... moody. Brooding. We had a fun little exchange before she left earlier, but I still sense she was just putting on airs."

"Well, you can't fault her for having a lot on her mind," Blake reasoned, as she ate. "And even if she was putting on airs, like you said, at least she's making an effort to be personable."

"I do worry about her, Blake. Now more than ever."

"That's okay. I'm not telling you _not_ to keep an eye on her. It's good that you're paying attention to her. I'm sure she's grateful."

Weiss gave a small smile. "It's funny. On Sunday I was telling you not to interfere. Now, here I am, wanting to grab that little red... I want to help her."

"Do you remember that I agreed with you on Sunday? I still agree with you, that we shouldn't interfere. It'll be fine, one way or the other."

Weiss remained unconvinced. "Mm-hm."

"Hey," Blake said, quietly. "I have another idea to run by you. It still has to do with our roommates, but it also has everything to do with us."

"I'm listening."

"Okay, so tomorrow..."

* * *

 "So that's the deal," Weiss finished.

Ruby sipped her coffee cup, staring at Weiss with interest. "Is this supposed to be surprising?" she asked, after a moment or two. "It's Wednesday. You two have been spending hours together ever since Sunday."

Weiss shrugged. "We thought it would be best to just get it out in the open."

Ruby nodded, understanding. "Okay then. I'm happy for you. And Blake."

"I don't quite feel you, Ruby," Weiss said.

Ruby walked over and embraced her. "I mean it. That's great, about you and Blake. I'm happy for you both, I really am."

Weiss returned the embrace, but noted that something felt off, in the way Ruby was holding her. It felt... almost mechanical, like she still wasn't entirely _there_ , Weiss thought. "... Thank you," she said, eventually.

* * *

 Yang smiled. "So that's it?"

"Yes," Blake said. "We talked about it yesterday, and, even though we've been 'together' since Sunday, we thought it best to spare further confusion. So yes, we're officially together now, Weiss and I."

Without any warning, Yang clamped her arms around Blake in a bear hug. "That's great, hun! See, almost three weeks at your new university, and you've snagged the high and mighty corporate heiress. Now tell me: was I right? About you needing to move fast while you're still fresh?"

Blake smiled sheepishly. "Yes, you were right. Now," she said, groaning a little, "do you think you can let me go now?"

Yang squeezed tighter. "No! This feels great!"

* * *

 

"Hey, Blake," Yang piped up from her desk. "I want to tell you something."

Seated at her own desk, opposite from Yang, Blake turned around to face her roommate. "What's that?"

"I... just want you to know, that I haven't had any drinks since Sunday afternoon."

Blake felt the beginnings of a smile creep onto her face. "Yeah? And it's Thursday, now. I like where this is going."

Yang went on, "I was drinking almost every night, lately. After... this thing with Ruby, and talking with you, I thought, that I don't want to be one of those college kids who turns into an alcoholic right after they turn 18, you know? So, after we talked, I made the decision. I'm cutting down on going out nights, and I haven't a drink in four days now. It's only a small number, but-"

"Wow, Yang," Blake said, impressed. "That's awesome. I mean, does it matter that you're only young, or that you're only a few days sober? You saw that you believed you had a problem, and you did something to fix it. That's your life, and it sounds like you want to put yourself in a position to live better."

Yang nodded. Blake smiled, wide. "I'm happy for you, then."

* * *

 Nervous. That was how Ruby felt, as she stepped off the bus on Friday evening. She had no clue what was going to happen to her over the course of the night. She wasn't entirely sure of what she wanted, either.

She walked the two blocks, feeling alone in the vast surrounds of Vale City, the bustling activity of strangers and cars and people on bicycles rushing past her. She tried her best not to pay attention when she turned a corner and saw two young men walking past her, with their hands entwined, but she couldn't fail to notice the display of affection. It made her sigh, but at the same time it helped to steel her resolve, and reminded her of why she was in the city in the first place.

The V Bar on a Friday was rather different to how the bar was on the previous Saturday, when she'd gone with Yang. Then, it had been mostly younger people, not much older than herself, that populated the space in the building. But this night was more diverse. It appeared that, while there were still a large number of those young people, there was also a substantial number of middle-aged, office-worker-looking people, with their suit jackets off, and their ties loose around their necks.

She walked up to the bar. "Hey," she said to the bartender, who smiled at her.

"I recognize you," Velvet said. "You came in with Yang Xiao Long last Saturday night, right, one of Blake's friends? Yes, that's right, you were the other girl that passed out and had to get taken back, weren't you?"

Ruby nodded, biting her lip. "That's me. Ruby."

"So what brings you here tonight? Did you come with someone?"

"No," Ruby said, shrugging. "Just me. I just came to get some drinks... maybe, I don't know..." She glanced away. "Meet someone?"

Velvet grinned. "Okay then. Have you done this before?" Ruby shook her head, and Velvet nodded. "Want some help, maybe? I can point out some cool guys for you. Or girls, if that's your thing."

"Girls," Ruby said. "But that's okay. I think I can manage."

Velvet raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? It really wouldn't be a problem."

Ruby shook her head again, and planted both her hands on the bar. "No, thank you. This is something I want to do on my own."

"I'll get you something to drink, then," Velvet said, frowning, and walked away.

As she left, Ruby felt her anxiety jumping at her again. She glanced around the bar, nervously, at some of the other girls. Most of them were chatting with someone else, or otherwise occupied. She looked down at her hands again, just as Velvet slid a beer bottle in front of her.

"You were drinking these last time, right?" Velvet asked.

Ruby looked up, and nodded. "Thank you." Velvet walked away again, and Ruby took the chance to surreptitiously look around again. She looked at a platinum-blonde girl, on the other side of the bar, probably for longer than she should have; noticing that she was being watched, the girl locked eyes with Ruby, and smiled at her.

Ruby blushed, and glanced away. She desperately tried to cool her jitters by gulping down a mouthful of beer. When she looked up again, the blonde girl was sliding into the seat next to her.

She waved Velvet over and pointed at Ruby's beer. "One, please."

"Sure thing."

The girl turned to Ruby, who sat awkwardly on the stool. "Hey there, cutie. What's your name?"

Ruby opened her mouth, but felt like her mouth was on a five-second delay to her brain. "Ru-I'm, uh, I mean, I'm R-Ruby," she stammered, edgily extending her hand.

The blonde girl accepted it, smiling. Ruby noted that her hand was cold to the touch. "Cobie. Bit nervous, are we?"

"Um... ah... a little?"

Cobie laughed, a mirthful sound, pleasant to Ruby's ears. "That's okay," she said, teasingly. "You were lookin' right awkward and green just sittin' here on your lonesome, so I thought I might come and chat for a quick minute or two, yeah?"

Ruby found her accent almost musical. It seemed hard to understand, but she got the gist of what her new foreign companion was saying. "Thank you," she said quietly.

"No need to thank me, love, just looks like you need some help, is all," Cobie said, as Velvet came back and handed her a bottle identical to Ruby's. "So, Ruby, what do you do? You local?"

Ruby shook her head. "Patch Island. I'm studying at Beacon U right now, though. Engineering," she added.

"Neat. Now, how old are you?" Cobie asked, peering slightly at Ruby.

"18. I'm in my freshman year."

"Really," Cobie said, rather than asked. "I thought so. And you're here to look for a quick pickup, then?"

It surprised Ruby, how direct Cobie was. "Well, yeah... is... is there a problem?" she tried, tentatively.

Cobie looked at her apologetically. "Sorry, love. I didn't mean to be judgmental. But you're pretty young to be coming out to the bars on a Friday night, all on your lonesome, lookin' for a pickup, don't you think?"

Ruby frowned. "I'm getting over some things in my life. So what?"

Cobie opened her mouth to answer, but caught the eye of someone on the other side of the bar, where she'd been sitting previously. She waved at them, and looking at Ruby again. "Sorry, love, my sis is rarin' to get out of here. Didn't have a great night chasing the phillies, I'll give you the tip." She winked, as if to add emphasis.

Ruby blinked in confusion. "Okay?"

Cobie sighed. "Look, what you need to do is give this a bit of thought, yeah? You say you're gettin' over some stuff. That's cool, and I won't pry. But if you're here because you think someone messed you up and you want payback? You should probably just start headin' back to campus now. You're young. Whether or not someone your age needs a relationship is a debatable topic, and I err on both sides, but if you are going to have that romantic connection at your age, then it's best that it means something to both of you. You shouldn't be startin' to prowl around here every week, hoping some older bloke or gal will take you back to their place just for them to kick you out once you're done screwing. That's not healthy, and no one wins out of it."

Ruby shook her head. She was starting to feel irritated, and patronized. "How do you think you know anything about me? We literally just met."

Cobie shrugged, and gave her a warm smile. "I was 18 myself, once. Count yourself lucky that you actually got someone like me right now to help steer you clear." She waved Velvet over, and swiped a card in a terminal, settling her tab. She then stood up, as an almost-identical looking woman – her sister, Ruby assumed – came over. "Now, I gotta slide, but promise me that you actually listened to what I said, yeah?"

Ruby nodded, and the two blonde women left, bidding her farewell. She sat with her beer for a short while, periodically sipping, making up her mind as for what to do next.

"What are you going to do now, with that sage advice?" Velvet asked, eventually.

"I'm not going anywhere," Ruby sighed. "Was it good advice? I don't know. She probably thought she was doing her good deed for the day. Whatever. I came here tonight to make something happen."

* * *

 

Blake hummed to herself as she wheeled the trolley around the aisles, stopping on occasion to take a book from the trolley and put it back in its rightful place on the shelf it belonged to. It never failed to intrigue her, how people seemed to forget that particular step in the Unspoken Library Contract for the Convenience of Others. Consistently, people would just leave their borrowed books where they'd been sitting, or, if they'd felt the need to fulfill half of the Contract, they simply shoved the books on random shelves, and obviously felt satisfied with their actions.

Blake sighed at these people, but she'd come to expect as much, working in a 24-hour city library. And it wasn't that bad, she figured, because it wasn't like she had to get them reorganized before closing.

When she was done, she wheeled the empty trolley back inside the storage room. Then she made the long walk back to the reception desk, where her supervisor, Mrs Roth, sat, watching her.

"You got a phone call," the old woman said. "A Velvet called, asking if you could pick up a Ruby. Capital 'R'."

Blake frowned. "Okay. Do you mind if I call her back, then?"

Mrs Roth yawned. "Go ahead. Keep it short, though, would ya?"

Blake nodded, "Of course, ma'am." The old woman got up and retired to her office, where she always said she was doing paperwork, but Blake suspected she had taken her fair share of midnight naps in there as well.

Blake picked up the phone, and dialed the number left on the message. It answered after two rings. "Velvet?" she asked straight away.

"Blake, hello," Velvet answered. "You got my message?"

"I did. What's the problem?"

"Your friend Ruby has been in here since this evening. As the night's gone on, I've been forced to watch her get rejected by several girls."

"How many?"

"Well, she's super drunk right now, and she's had a beer for every girl that's rejected her tonight."

Blake groaned. "What was she doing there? Trying to pick up a one night stand?"

"That's what she said. Look Blake, I can't let this go on anymore. I cut her off 20 minutes ago, but she's still making noise." She paused. "I know you're at work, but do you think you can pick her up?"

"I can't, sorry," Blake apologized, dejectedly. "But... I know someone who can sort it out," she said, with more hope in her voice.

"Okay, good."

"Sorry about this, Velvet," Blake said. "But thanks for letting me know."

"No problem."

They said their goodbyes and ended the call. Blake immediately called Weiss.

"Hello, this is Weiss Schnee, to whom am I speaking?" Weiss answered, formally and politely, like she always did with unfamiliar numbers.

Blake smiled, "It's me, Babe."

"Oh? Oh, Blake! Is this the library's number?"

"It is. Look, I don't have long to talk. I just got a call from Velvet. Do you know what Ruby's up to right now?"

"She said she was going to spend the night studying with Jaune," Weiss said, referring to one of Ruby's friends, who had crushed on her for the longest time before Weiss was forced to tell him about her sexuality. "Did you say Velvet?"

"Yeah, the V Bar. Ruby's spent the entire night downtown, drinking. Apparently looking for a quick hookup, as well. From what I heard, she's in bad shape at the moment. Velvet asked if I could go pick her up, but I'm still working for another five hours. Do you think you can take care of it?"

"That little _idiot_ ," Weiss hissed. "What does she think she's doing? Yeah, I'll take care of it. I'll take a cab to pick her up and come back to the campus."

Blake was relieved. "Thank you, Weiss."

"Don't mention it. I'll see you when you get back?"

"Of course."

They ended the call, leaving Blake to sink down into the big desk-chair. She ran both hands back through her hair and shook her head in disbelief. Maybe watching from afar wasn't good enough anymore. Maybe – and now she was almost certain that Weiss would agree – some interference was finally required.

 


	11. Ice Cream & Interesting Nonsense

The entire cab ride back to Beacon, Weiss fumed in silence. Ruby was half-asleep.

When she'd rolled up to the V Bar to pick up her inebriated, drunk-sobbing roommate, Velvet had given her a look of overwhelmed gratitude, mouthing, "Thank you," as Weiss hauled Ruby out onto the sidewalk.

Shoving Ruby into the backseat had generated the first and only piece of conversation between them:

 **Ruby:** Weiss, I'm sorry that you got dragged out here. I just got rej-

 **Weiss:** Quiet. I don't want you to talk right now.

 **Ruby:** When can I?

 **Weiss:** When I say so. Not a word until then.

Other than that, the drive back to campus was entirely silent. Weiss kept her eyes straight ahead, fixed on the back of the driver's seat.

Ruby rolled her head around, looking at everything in the car. She saw how stony-faced Weiss was, and, in that moment, thought that she _should_ feel bad for the inconvenience she'd caused. But something inside her was blocking those deeper emotions, and she only felt sullen, that her entire night had been something akin to a disaster, that she'd been completely unable to find another girl who would give her the time of day.

This was a night she wanted to forget, and the sooner, the better. Weiss, however, had no intention of letting it go that easily.

Weiss pulled out her phone, and, yawning from the late hour, fired off a quick message to Blake:

_Picked up the dummy. I'm putting her straight to bed._

Blake replied a minute later, _We can't sit around anymore. I've just given it some more thought since Velvet called. We need to_ do _something now._

Weiss sighed, and massaged her neck with her hand, as if it was actually grinding down on the stress she was feeling.

She sincerely wanted to get involved. But she'd held herself – and, consequently, Blake – back because her sensibilities told her that it was none of their business. This was a two-way street, she'd rationalized, and the lanes were named Yang and Ruby. Blake and Weiss had no place in the situation.

But as this farce dragged on, she was coming to realize that it was unavoidable; while she couldn't speak for how Yang was affecting Blake, she could feel that Ruby was inadvertently dragging her further and further into it. All of a sudden, she was into it as much Blake desired for them to be, and now she had to flip her perspective to work out what to do next.

So she figured that it might actually be best to follow Blake's lead on this one. If she was so desperate to intervene and have a hand in bringing these two together, then so be it.

 _Fine,_ she wrote. _I have some bare bones for you, if you really want to talk to Ruby: while I would_ really _love it if you came over when you get back, I think you'll want some sleep, at least, before dealing with Ruby. I'll see you again when we all wake up, and we'll both talk to Ruby together when we're both fresh._

_I assume you'll be doing most of the talking?_

_I might huff and puff a bit of hot air, but I'll let you take point. This is what you wanted, after all._

_Really? Okay. Anything in particular you want me to bring up?_

_I think you know as much as I do. Probably more, since I haven't been privy to Yang this past week. I'll go with the flow._

_Great. :) But it's a shame I won't see you when I get back..._

Weiss smiled, despite herself. _I'm certain we'll find a way to make it up. :)_

* * *

 

There was a heavy feeling of unease in the air. Blake felt it the instant she crawled out of bed on Saturday morning.

When she'd come back from her shift earlier, all she'd been thinking was what she was going to say to Ruby. She was thinking about as she fell asleep, and she was thinking about it now, waiting for the kettle to boil. She thought about how delicately she needed to treat Ruby, like she was fragile. Conversely, she could take the harsher approach, but she assumed Weiss had already cornered that position.

To Blake, Ruby was like a porcelain doll. So precious, so innocent. But recently, she'd seen cracks appearing in the finish. Being let down by Yang had cruelled her, it seemed, sending her to a place she oughtn't have gone. She'd wanted to handle it on her own. She'd wanted to be strong, and not make it anyone else's problem. And Blake had admired her determination. But at the same time, she'd gotten the slightest inkling of just how flawed such an ideal was, when it was made clear that Ruby had never been in this situation before.

The light on the kettle went off, signaling that the water was finished boiling. Blake didn't hesitate to pour the water into her mug, drowning her teabag.

She nursed the tea. She'd been so determined to help Ruby, almost from the beginning of the week, when it was apparent that she was going to go through with her plan. But Blake had held back. Weiss was the one to say that it was Ruby's decision, and that if she was going to shut out the help of those around her, then it would be her learning experience. Not to mention that Blake was still trying to get a feel for her girlfriend of almost one week, and didn't really want to risk upsetting anything between them over Ruby's situation, so she'd been okay to sit on the sidelines and watch.

But now, Ruby had been severely knocked down in the field of play, and Weiss was no longer holding her arm out in front of Blake. In fact, she was already halfway onto the field, waving at Blake to hurry up and get the stretcher out. It was a puzzling change of heart on Weiss's part, when she'd felt strongly for standing back, but Blake liked it. In the end, they were, both of them, still Ruby's friends, and one of their responsibilities in that capacity was to pick Ruby up when she was hurting. They'd tried it once, and Ruby had resisted. But today, they were going to try again.

Her tea had lost some of its temperature, so it didn't burn when she poured half the mug's worth into her mouth, with a building vigor.

Yang stirred, asking what she was doing so early in the morning.

"I'm going to see Weiss and Ruby," Blake explained. "You wouldn't want to come, would you?" She was reluctant to ask, but didn't want Yang to feel out of loop. While this specific matter was focused on Ruby, Yang was obviously a major part of the scheme of things.

Yang mumbled, "I'm good," and sank her head further into the pillow.

Blake finished her tea and ventured out. It was always a short walk, with Ruby and Weiss's room only a few doors away.

"Morning," Weiss said, greeting her with a quick kiss on the cheek. She directed Blake inside. "I woke her up and gave her coffee. She's sober now."

Blake nodded. "Morning to you too, then."

"Do you want some tea?"

Blake shook her head. "I'm alright, thank you."

Ruby looked up at her. "Hello, Blake," she croaked. "Come for breakfast with your _girlfriend_?"

Blake was surprised at how bitter she sounded.

"You're still not allowed to talk yet!" Weiss reprimanded, pointing at her. "So keep quiet."

"What's this?" Blake asked.

Weiss poured herself another cup of coffee. "Don't worry about it. Begin."

Blake nodded at her, and sat down on Weiss's bed. She waited for Weiss to sit down next to her before looking squarely at Ruby. "So," she began, "Tell me about last night, Ruby. I guess we'll start there."

Ruby glanced at Weiss, who nodded, as if granting her permission to speak again. "I went to the V Bar," she said tersely.

Blake raised her eyebrows. "And? What did you do there?"

"I drank. And met some girls, I guess," she added, shrugging slightly.

"And how did that go?"

"How do you think?" Ruby snapped. Immediately, she blanched, regretting losing her temper. "Sorry," she mumbled. "Not well."

"Okay. And, why do you think it didn't go well?" Blake asked, feeling like she was moving into a good groove of questioning.

Ruby looked up. "What?"

"You're fairly attractive, in your adorable, twee way. I'm sure you could have left with one of those girls, if things had gone well. So, what do you think you did that drove them away?"

"I don't know. Maybe because I kept drinking-"

Blake held her hand up. "I don't need you tell me. I just want you to think about it."

Ruby nodded, slowly. "Okay."

"Now, while you think about that... talk to us about Yang."

* * *

 

Weiss got up and walked over by the window, not wishing to play any further part in Blake's deconstruction of Ruby. She gazed out the window, trying to block out the pitiful sounds of Ruby burying her head into Blake's chest, sobbing into her shirt.

It hadn't affected her the way she'd predicted. When she'd agreed with Blake on the matter, she was anticipating that she'd feel something like positivity. For Ruby, of course, and that this would be a step in the right direction for her. Instead, she felt upset and awkward, watching her friend go to pieces and her girlfriend trying to steel herself to get through it.

She wanted to hold both of them close to her, and she was struggling to think of sound excuses for not doing so.

"Weiss?" Blake said, a little blearily, noticing Weiss's discomfort. "What's wrong?"

"I'm fine," Weiss said, feeling like she took a little long to answer.

Blake was sleep-deprived, but that didn't make her any slower on the uptake. She could sense that Weiss felt off-put by what was transpiring. "You can go if you really want to."

Weiss snorted. "Of course not. It's nothing, anyway. Things are just a little tense, is all, but not that that's anyone's fault," she also added, not wanting to sound like she was trivializing Ruby.

Ruby pulled away from Blake and sniffed, before wiping her face with both sleeves of her sweatshirt. "I'm sorry for falling apart, guys... I though that I wouldn't need to bring anyone else into my mess. Or... I really just thought that I could do it all on my own." She sniffed, and gave a stuttering chuckle. "So much for that, huh?"

Blake patted her on the back. "What do you feel like doing now?"

"Watching a crappy movie, sharing a tub of ice cream with a girl," Ruby joked. "Preferably with Yang, but at this point, I'd be happy to do that with any girl."

"How did you get such a crummy, clichéd idea?" Weiss muttered. "Watching too many of those crappy movies, I assume."

"Do you have any of those movies here?" Blake asked, to the surprise of the others.

Ruby wiped her face again, and then gave Blake a puzzled look. "What?"

"I mean, if that's what you want... why don't we do that? We have a computer here. We can watch anything you want. Physical or digital media? What does it matter, am I right?"

Ruby started to smile, slowly. "Really?"

"Yeah," Blake grinned. "We'd be more than happy to share ice cream and bad cinema with you."

"We?" Weiss said, perplexed.

Blake stared at her meaningfully. "Of course. We, as in _Weiss and Blake,_ would be more than happy, Ruby. Right, Weiss?"

Weiss was reluctant, to say the least. It was Saturday morning, so it wasn't like she had any academic obligations, but this was not what she'd had in mind when Blake came over to talk to Ruby.

But it was exactly that factor that made her contemplate. For one thing, the mood in the room had suddenly shifted. She'd called it tense not three minutes ago, but now, it was as far away from tense as possible. Ruby was _smiling_ now. She'd been soaking Blake's shirt with her tears not three minutes ago, and now she was _smiling_. It was all about Ruby in the end, Weiss concluded. Ruby was trying to feel better, and Blake was simply trying to make that a more achievable possibility than it arguably would have been if Ruby had continued to forge on by herself. And if it was all about Ruby, and making her feel better, then what right did a haughty, stuck-up heiress have to refuse the wishes of her girlfriend and her best friend?

Weiss matched Blake's previous grin with one of her own. "Sure. Why not?"

"Someone would have to go and get some ice cream, though," Ruby pointed out.

"Well," Blake said, a teasing air in her voice, "Weiss is already standing, so I don't see why she can't make a run for ice cream. And the two of us can pick out films. How does that sound?"

"Cool!"

Weiss frowned. "Hey."

Blake stared at her again, her mouth twitching, as if to say, _This is what you get for not being on the ball. Does it hurt, knowing that I was right?_

Of course, that was Weiss's interpretation of Blake's subtle facial expression, but something in her brain convinced her it was accurate. Probably because she felt that way herself, and she was simply latching onto her girlfriend to validate how off the mark she'd been. Kicking herself, through Blake.

"Fine. I'll make the ice cream run," she relented. "The nearest convenience store isn't far anyway, I suppose."

Blake opened her arms, and Weiss walked into them. "Thank you," she whispered through her girlfriend's white hair. Wisps of it shifted as her breath pushed at them. "This will be good. For all of us, and her especially."

Weiss nodded. "I know." Blake released her, and she smiled at Ruby before leaving.

* * *

 

Weiss dragged the jumbo tub of cookie ice cream over, briefly dislodging her arm from around Blake to spoon some of the confection into her mouth. Ruby giggled as one of the actresses on-screen delivered another terrible punchline. She pointed at the tub in Weiss's hand. "Pass it over, please."

"Sure."

"This dialogue of this film is so poorly-written that you want to laugh _at_ it, not _with_ it," Blake observed.

"That may be," Weiss said, "but you can't fault the casting choices. These actresses are absolutely gorgeous."

Blake nodded thoughtfully. "Are we all agreed that the two lead actresses of this film are hopelessly stunning? Say 'aye'."

"Aye," they all said in unison.

"To be honest, they're the main reason I told you to put this movie on in the first place," Ruby admitted.

"Really," Weiss deadpanned. "Are you sure it was just them, and not the quality of the narrative, writing or photography?"

"I'm guessing you also picked this movie just because you wanted to hear two of your lesbian friends validate the sexual and physical appeal of two beautiful, famous women?" Blake scoffed. "You could have just as easily brought up the same conversation over lunch or coffee. Our opinions would not be any different, I assure you. In fact, we would probably get more mileage out of the topic then, given that we wouldn't be watching this movie in that setting."

"In my opinion, this conversation has already gone on long enough," Weiss said.

It was late morning, and the three young women were in the middle of their second film. After Weiss had come back from the convenience store, bearing gifts of ice cream, they'd all clambered into Ruby's bed – Blake lying in the middle, Weiss and Ruby on either side of her, and the laptop resting on her midriff.

The first film they'd viewed was a bad-but-funny romantic comedy, with a pairing of a young, blonde starlet and a rugged "tough guy" actor, the latter of whom seemed to be another in a long line of "action men" made to star in such movies.

They'd had to stop the movie to calm Blake down, after she went on an irritated filibuster about that very topic. In the end, they never finished the first film. Weiss and Ruby had had to put on this second film in an attempt to restore Blake's mood. They seemed to have an unspoken, instantaneous agreement that Blake couldn't get mad about "wimpified action men" while watching a romantic comedy pairing two women.

Blake was just to throw this very point back in Weiss's face, but there was a knock on the door just as she opened her mouth.

"I'll get it," Ruby said, extricating herself from Blake's side and getting up. Blake and Weiss kept the movie playing, their only indication of acknowledgement of Ruby's departure being to snuggle closer together.

Ruby pilled the door open, and Yang smiled at her. "Hey, Ruby," she said, cheerily.

Ruby did her best to fight the smile she was feeling. She succeeded in keeping it restrained to a slight quirk at the corners of her mouth. "Hi," she greeted, her voice equally warm.

Yang leaned against the door frame. "What are you up to?"

"Oh, uh..." Ruby paused, briefly turning to glance at the two remaining occupants of her bed. "Movies. Ice cream. You know, sad girl stuff."

Yang nodded, still smiling. "Okay then."

"So, uh, what can I do for you?"

Yang's grin fell almost immediately. She adopted an almost-blank, passive expression, as she whispered to Ruby, "Could I talk to you in private for a tick?"

"Okay..." Ruby paused again, hesitant. "I don't want to kick out the lovebirds, though."

"Yang," Blake called out, hearing the mention, "I hereby order you to take that girl back to our room."

"I was about to do that anyway," Yang muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

"Well, what will the two of you do?" Ruby asked.

Blake chuckled. "I'm sure we'll find something we can do with just the two of us. Right, Weiss? Ow," she winced as Weiss gently drove her elbow into her side.

"Let's go?" Yang asked.

Ruby nodded, and followed. As she made to close the door behind her, she called back to them, "I'm sure you'll be good people and leave some ice cream for me, yeah?"

"Sure," Blake smirked as the door shut. She turned to Weiss. "Your bed?"

Weiss nodded. "My bed."

As they settled down in Weiss's bed, Blake took another spoonful of ice cream. A small piece fell from the spoon and landed on Weiss's cheek.

"Oops. Let me get that for you," she grinned, pressing her lips to Weiss's cheek.

Heat flooded Weiss's face at the touch, and she pouted. "You're up and about today, aren't you?" she mumbled, blushing.

Blake pulled back, and smiled ruminatively. "Well... I suppose one could see it like that. Really, though, I just feel like I'm manifesting positive vibes into our physical relationship. Also, I feel that if I keep experiencing that positivity right now, it will help to drown out my memories of what Ruby and I talked about earlier."

"Mm. Okay then. If it will help, then you have my permission to lick as much ice cream off my cheek as you want."

"I can see you're half-joking right now, but I'm tempted to do it anyway."

"Do so, and risk getting yourself kicked out of this bed," Weiss said, prodding Blake's cheek. "What do you think they're talking about?"

"I get the feeling Yang's doing most of the talking, Ruby most of the listening... they're probably just airing out the true feelings they have for each other."

"You said that just as simply as if you were talking about the weather," Weiss pointed out. Blake shrugged. Weiss asked, "So, are you sure about Yang? Admitting her love for Ruby?"

"I'm sure. I don't know why," Blake admitted, "but I don't doubt her feelings at all. We talked about it at length last Sunday night, and I'm fully understanding of how she feels. And if last night and this morning didn't scar her too much, then hopefully Ruby will be receptive of those feelings." She paused. "At the very least, they'll get clarity out of this, a better understanding of each other."

"And the most?"

Blake shrugged, but smiled. "If it goes well, then we might not be newest lesbian couple on campus."

"I wouldn't be disappointed with that," Weiss mused aloud.

* * *

 

The credits rolled after the obligatory reconciliation kiss shared by the two characters. Blake squeezed the girl in her arms and got up. "I'll go and get us some lunch."

"Tonight's your last shift at the library for the week?" Weiss asked.

Blake nodded. "Tomorrow's a day off. What do you want to eat?"

"Wait, you're not going into the city to get lunch, are you?"

"No, Hunters."

"Oh, okay. Um, I'll leave it up to you," Weiss said, shrugging.

"Okay," Blake smiled, and started walking.

Weiss smiled. "Hey, Blake. Come here." Blake walked back over, and Weiss sat up. She pulled Blake down to her level, and they shared another kiss. "Thank you," Weiss said.

Blake shook her head. "You're going to make me want to stay here, and we'll miss lunch."

"Well, let's see. If you stay here, then I'll have you for however long. But if I let you go, then I have to put up without you for 15 minutes, at the end of which I'll have you, _and_ food. Either way, I get you at some stage," Weiss teased.

Blake's face took on a pained expression.

Go on," Weiss laughed, waving to the door.

After Blake left, Weiss got out of bed. She walked around the room, cleaning as she went. She made her bed, and Ruby's as well, for a change. She stored the remaining ice cream, and tossed the plastic spoons they'd used into the trash. She closed the laptop, and put it back on her desk, plugging the charger in as well.

Once it was all done, Weiss hummed a tune in the key of satisfaction. She sat down at her desk, and opened up her notebook. After all, why not do a spot of revision, to back up all the study she'd done during the week.

The door opened, and Ruby ambled in. "Honey, I'm home," she announced.

"Welcome back," Weiss said, and smiled. "How was your tête-à-tête?"

"It was good," said Ruby, simply.

Weiss frowned. "Really? Nothing else? Just, 'it was good?'"

Ruby shrugged, and sat at her desk as well, across from Weiss. "What do you want me to tell you?"

"Maybe you could tell me what happened over there?" Weiss persuaded.

"Well, we made small talk for the first few minutes," Ruby began, a ponderous look on her face. "Then of course, the conversation eventually got to what was going on with _us_. It was really the elephant in the room."

"You don't have to tell me all the details, if you don't want to."

Ruby smiled. "Thank you. So, anyway, to make a long story short, we're not sure what's going to happen with us. We don't know if we can get anything out of this, after all this mess. We're both a couple of emotionally frail young hens, after all... but we've decided to give it a try."

Weiss jumped up and wrapped her arms around Ruby, a wide grin on her face. "You have no idea how happy I am for you," she said.

Ruby giggled. "This is an unprecedented move by you, so I agree. But thank you."

"What else happened?" Weiss asked, pulling away and sitting back down. "Did you hug? Or... dare I say it... kiss?"

"Eh? N-no," Ruby stammered, her voice high. "Actually, we did hug before I left. But only briefly!"

"I hope you're smart enough to realize that you shouldn't look at my relationship with Blake as a template for your exploits with Yang, yes?"

"Um, sure... that was a random thing to bring up all of a sudden."

Weiss looked away, smugly. "I have no clue what you're talking about."

* * *

 

Blake sighed. Sometimes, despite the undoubted magic of the written word, and its proliferation in the form of literature, she couldn't help but feel like some people should just buy e-books. That way, they would stop leaving their thick volumes and heavy tomes scattershot on the desks for her to clear up. She felt like a mother, picking up the mess of a child as they ran amok through her house.

But on the other hand, there were occasions where she would pick up the books left behind, and they would intrigue her into a brief flick through the pages. Just earlier, she'd picked up a book authored by a long-dead man with a very foreign-sounding name. The name, and also the title, were impossible for her to pronounce, but the cover intrigued her. It was a grayscale sketch, very rough in its definition, and depicted what appeared to be a cigarette lying on its side, its trail of smoke rising to the centre of the cover, where the roughness of the sketch seemed to transform it into the trunk of small tree, its full head of leaves seemingly on fire. It had drawn Blake's eye, as something she hadn't really seen before.

So she'd picked up the book and started reading. Unfortunately though, it was incomprehensible gibberish, sentence structures that didn't make sense, and turns of phrases that she suspected hadn't been used since the time the book was written. Interesting nonsense, but utter nonsense nonetheless.

She'd put the book back on its shelf, before she got the impulse to throw it in the trash. She supposed that this drivel appealed to someone. After all, it had ended up on one of the desks. Her favorite types of stories were the stuff of make-believe and fantasy, anyway, not the ramblings of a man some would call an esoteric genius and others would call mad. But she was, quite simply, always willing to expand her horizons.

"Blake?" Mrs Roth called from the reception desk.

Blake walked over. "Yes, ma'am?"

"Your shift ended five minutes ago. Why are you still here?"

Blake looked sheepish. "Sorry. Lost track of the time."

"Go on. Get out of here," the old woman said, a twinkle in her eye. "I'll see you again after next week."

Blake nodded. "Of course."

It was around 4.45 AM by the time Blake managed to flag down the next bus back to campus. As she sat down, her ringtone started its jangling tune. _Velvet Scarlatina,_ the caller ID read.

Blake frowned, but answered. "Velvet, can I ask why you're calling me on Sunday morning, when both of us have just gotten off work?" She absorbed Velvet's nervous words, an impressed smile growing. "Well, it looks like congratulations are in order then."

 


	12. The Cursed Noodles Situation & The FBI

Yawning and bleary-eyed, Weiss shuffled her way to the door. She opened it, anticipating Blake's arrival in a matter of minutes. After briefly looking out in the hallway, she shrugged and shambled back to bed. Blake would be along; there was no need for Weiss to stand around and wait.

As it turned out, it was only about five more minutes until she heard footfalls in the room, caught a light scent of lavender, and felt the weight of another body sliding behind her in the bed, so that they were in a spooning position.

Weiss smiled as Blake's arms circled around her waist, and pulled her close. "Happy Sunday," she said, opening her eyes and turning her head to see the face of her girlfriend. "Have a good shift?"

"Very much," Blake purred, pressing light kisses to Weiss's neck. "And a good morning to you too."

Blake picked up her pace, ever so slightly, dotting kisses along Weiss's collarbone, and jawline. Her hands moved as well, shifting along Weiss's stomach. Weiss hummed in contentment, and had to muffle a squeal when one of Blake's hands slid up to her chest.

"What do you think you're doing?" Weiss hissed, doing her best not to laugh out loud for the sake of the still-sleeping Ruby.

"Ma'am," Blake said, in a voice mocking seriousness, "remain calm. I'm with the FBI – Female Body Inspectors," she grinned.

Weiss shook her head, but giggled anyway. "You're terrible." She kept squirming and giggling as Blake's hands continued to roam.

"You can't tell me that you don't enjoy it, though," Blake grinned into Weiss's hair.

"That's true," Weiss admitted. "But I'm warning you about anything below-the-belt... I'm... uh. I haven't... er... ever..." she trailed off, blushing.

"Hey, now, that's okay," Blake whispered, soothingly. She moved down to kiss Weiss's cheek. "I won't make you do anything that you're not comfortable with."

"Really?" Weiss said, in a small voice.

"Really. I'm not in a hurry here, Weiss. I'm willing to do whatever it takes for us to work. It might sound sudden, but you know what? I feel really good about us."

"Well, we've been together for a week now, and so far I don't have any complaints either. I feel good too. And... thank you."

"No problem. I'm glad you feel good as well."

They lapsed into silence after that, simply preferring to bask in the presence of each other. Blake was, as Weiss saw it, no longer molesting her chest, going back to holding her, with her head buried against the back of Weiss's neck. They both could feel the rise and fall of the other's chest, and felt calmed by the syncopated rhythm of their breathing.

"So, have you ever... you know?" Weiss asked, all of a sudden.

"Had sex?" Blake guessed. She felt Weiss nod slowly. "I have."

"How many times?" Weiss asked.

Blake's eyes widened. "I... don't know. Maybe only a couple of times... do you really want to have this conversation now, this early, with Ruby sleeping just across from here?"

Weiss nodded again. "It's fine. It's just... what's it like?"

"Um..." For once, Blake was lost for words. This topic had completely thrown her for a loop. "It's... I really can't describe it. Um, I'm sorry, but I don't know if this is something I really want to talk about, Weiss."

"Mmkay," Weiss said, hesitantly. "I understand. But... you've done it with guys and girls, haven't you?"

"Not at all, interestingly enough," Blake said. "I've never had sex with a guy. The furthest I've ever gone with a guy is kissing, and you can see how much that turned out for me. So, yeah, I've only ever had sex with girls. Personally, I don't think it's that big a deal. I don't need to have awful sex with a guy I don't like, just to affirm my sexuality. I always knew that I never had to go down that road, and I never wanted to. So it never happened."

"Mm," Weiss hummed in acknowledgement.

"What makes you ask that question in particular?"

"I don't know," Weiss groaned. "Maybe because I've never done it before, full stop; I was with Pyrrha for three months, and even then it never happened. Though, it was never something that really bothered us... we were both comfortable where we were... but I've always been attracted to girls, though. I guess it's like you said, wondering if I need to have that experience to confirm what I already know in my heart."

"And like I said, I don't think we need to. At least, I didn't, coming up. It's different. For people who come into it more confused than we are, then it might be an important step in that process. But we know what we like, and we know who we like. We've known that for the longest time, and even though you haven't had that particular part of the experience, it doesn't matter. You're fine. Better than fine, actually, because you didn't have to go through that torrid period of confusion. Okay? Now, do you want to catch a bit of shut-eye, take advantage of these last couple hours before sunrise?"

Weiss rolled over and faced Blake for the first time that morning. She nodded again, and smiled, before kissing Blake goodnight. Or good morning, depending on how they wanted to see it.

* * *

 

Out of the many positives that Blake could provide in a conversation about the city of Vale, one was that of Sunday trading. Back in Menagerie, most, if not all places of business would be closed on Sunday. If they opened – and it was usually only the markets that did – then it was only for a few hours. It was a topic that Blake had discussed with many merchants, and the general consensus she'd received from her questioning was that the merchants all hated it as well. Which was why, when she'd moved to Vale, she'd told herself that she would take advantage of this new freedom sometime. Of course, she hadn't yet been able due to studying, or being worn out from work, or, more recently, not wanting to drag Weiss around off-campus.

But this was a special occasion, of sorts, and both she and Weiss had agreed to these Sunday plans.

After they'd woken up, Yang and Ruby's new coupling was one of the main topics that had come up, discussed while Ruby was taking a shower. After her roommate had shuffled out of the bathroom in her towel, Weiss made the proposal: she and Blake wanted to take the new couple out for a group lunch in the city. There was no reason not to agree for Ruby and Yang, who had been informed by Ruby within the next half-hour. After all, Weiss was even willing to foot the bill. Blake noticed the slight twitch of her girlfriend's eyebrow when she reluctantly made _that_ part of the proposal.

They'd all caught a bus off-campus and into the city, the same route that Blake traveled to get the V Bar. Yang and Ruby sat together, a few rows behind Blake and Weiss.

Blake watched out the window, feeling the familiarity of the direction the bus was taking. She turned to Weiss. "So, just where are we eating today?"

Weiss regarded the curiosity in Blake's eyes with a smile. In addition to paying for the meal (or part of the trade-off, Blake wasn't entirely sure which), Weiss was also choosing the establishment with which she would trade her money for restaurant services.

She shrugged. "This noodle house on 23rd. We can do one of those things where they put all the dishes on the lazy Susan and we can pick and share. It's a good idea, no?"

Blake nodded. "Yeah, it is. Wait, did you say 23rd?"

"Yes," Weiss said. "Is there a problem?"

"Uh... no," Blake said. "I just... I remembered an experience I had involving that place."

"What experience? You've had the food before?" Weiss said, a little disappointed that Blake wasn't new to the noodle house.

"Yeah, I have," Blake admitted. "It's only a short distance away from work, after all... but I was thinking more about a night I spent with Velvet that had to do with that noodle house." She felt guilty, her face getting warm at the memories of that one night with Velvet, drinking and eating takeout-food. Not to mention what happened _after_ they returned to campus.

"What?" Weiss frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Blake carefully went on to tell her of the _very_ brief time that she and Velvet had spent "kind-of-together", beginning with that first drunken night. Naturally, she omitted the finer, more in-depth details of their dalliance, but judging from the look on Weiss's face, she felt like her girlfriend got the idea about what had transpired.

Once Blake finished, Weiss said nothing for a minute or so, just staring down at the floor as the bus continued trundling along its route. Blake glanced at her worriedly, trying to gauge how she was taking it, but her girlfriend's expression was unreadable.

She touched Weiss's arm. "Hey..."

Weiss shrugged her hand away. "I don't know how to feel..." she muttered. "Why didn't you ever tell me this before?"

Blake withdrew, and narrowed her eyes. "I don't... what I did and who I saw before we got together isn't really relevant, I think. It's not like I was still seeing her after we started going out, after all. We stopped seeing each other a while before we happened, you know."

"I get that, but..." Weiss looked up, her expression still blank. "The girls you were with in Menagerie... while I don't really want to hear about them, it's easier because I don't know them. But this is different. I _know_ Velvet. She was good to me the night we went to the bar. And _you_ introduced us to each other that night. I shook her hand. Who's to say what part of you that hand's touched? Maybe parts of you that I haven't even touched yet..."

"That never happened," Blake firmly said. She wrapped her arm around Weiss's shoulders. "Weiss, look at me." Weiss slowly met her girlfriend's gaze, and Blake saw, for the first time, that she carried uncertainty and worry in her eyes. She closed the distance between them, until their foreheads were touching. "Velvet and I never did anything like that, okay?" she whispered. "She understands what the situation is, because I made it clear to her. _We_ , as in _you_ and _I_ , are together, and she's not a part of it, and she's fine with that. Even if, next Sunday, we stand in front of your family and they disapprove of us, then I don't care. I want us to still be together. Of course, it would be great if they _do_ approve of us, but just know that I want us to be together no matter what they think. No matter what _anyone_ thinks."

Weiss stuck her lower lip out, in a slight pout. "I'm glad that our relationship isn't actually a screenplay; there's been so much purple dialogue between us since we got together, it would _never_ get picked up for production, I'm telling you," she muttered, leaning her head on Blake's shoulder nonetheless.

Blake flicked a lock of Weiss's hair with her finger. "Excuse me for caring about my girlfriend, then. I never said this sort of stuff with my exes, so maybe you shouldn't be so quick to dismiss it," she suggested.

"I'm sorry, then," Weiss said, "but that's also not fair. Throwing your exes in my face to excuse your pathetically sappy monologue? Better luck next time," she huffed.

"You _do_ understand what i'm saying, though?"

Weiss lifted her gaze, studying Blake's face. "Of course I do. I agree with you, as unashamedly embarrassing as your words may be."

"Good," Blake said, and turned around to talk to Yang and Ruby. "How are you two doing?" she asked them.

Both girls looked unprepared for the question. Or maybe they were just unprepared for someone actually saying something; that moment, Blake realized she hadn't heard much of anything coming from the couple a few seats behind herself and Weiss. She narrowed her eyes, and scrutinized the pair. Their hands were linked, but there was still physical distance between their bodies, like they were sitting as far away as possible from each other while still keeping contact. They seemed awkward, Blake quickly concluded.

She turned back around, not bothering to wait for a response from either of them, and smirked. "Some of us are nervous," she whispered to Weiss.

Weiss nodded, but said, "Give them a break," she lightly scolded. "They haven't even been together longer than 24 hours. After everything that's gone down, what did you think would happen so soon? That they'd be sitting up the back of the bus, pawing at each other?"

Blake crossed her arms. "Well, you didn't have to be so blunt about it."

Weiss dropped her hand onto Blake's thigh and gently squeezed, enjoying how firm it felt through Blake's skinny jeans. "I'm just saying, don't rib them; give them time. _We're_ moving quickly, I can feel it. Not every couple will move as quickly as us, and I don't think we should expect Ruby and Yang to follow our lead."

"Of course not," Blake said, taking Weiss's hand in her own. "We know that they both like each other, _a lot_ , but it makes me uncomfortable to see them dancing around each other and not _with_ each other. Maybe I should just skip out on observing this first stage of their relationship..."

"Quit your blathering already. You're being so weird today," Weiss said, nudging Blake's shoulder. "We're here now, so come on." They stood, and stepped off the bus with Ruby and Yang following behind them.

The two couples made polite conversation during the walk to the restaurant. Blake could tell that Yang and Ruby were trying, doing their best, but it still felt weird.

Before long, they made it to the noodle house, to the indoor, "sit-down" part of the restaurant, where they were greeted and ushered to a table for four by a jovial waiter. They each took a seat as the waiter dashed off to fetch their drinks.

Yang smiled nervously. "This is nice, isn't it?" she said, to no one in particular, but glancing at Ruby, who simply nodded and blushed.

Weiss cringed slightly as the awkward air assaulted her senses. Eager to take charge of the situation, and keep things flowing, she propped up her menu and started scanning the listings. "So, what do we all feel like today?" she asked. Ruby and Yang each picked up their menus and began perusing, pausing occasionally to look at each other and quietly converse about the different choices. Weiss paused as well, noticing that Blake hadn't even touched her menu since they had been seated.

"Aren't you going to order something?" she asked.

"I am," Blake nodded. "I don't need a menu, though; I already know what I want."

"Then why didn't you say anything when we were given the menus?" Weiss frowned.

Blake was silent as she stared at the untouched menu. Finally, she shrugged. "I don't know."

Sighing, Weiss closed her eyes and her menu, setting the latter back down on the table. "What are you eating then?"

Blake fixed her with starry eyes, and picked up the menu. She pointed to one of the pictures. "There's this thing of thick egg noodles, with pieces of shredded chicken and some vegetables, and they do it with this red sauce, which is the _best_ sauce I've ever tasted in my life," she rambled excitedly. "Believe me, Weiss, it tastes _divine_ ," she purred.

"I'm guessing that's what you ate with Velvet that one time, then," Weiss surmised, suddenly showing great interest in examining the tablecloth.

To be fair to her, Blake thought, it _was_ a fine tablecloth, in all of its white, nondescript plainness. But she wasn't going to let it slide, by any means. "Are you going to make a point there," she asked, narrowing her eyes, "or do you intend to be passive-aggressive all of a sudden?"

The waiter made his return with a small dish, laden with four glasses. He sidled up to them."Your drinks?"

"Thank you," Ruby said, taking it upon herself to acknowledge the waiter while Weiss and Blake were silent. She helped him put the drinks down on the table, and told him that they – namely Weiss and Blake – didn't appear ready to order quite yet. He smiled and walked away.

Eventually, Weiss glanced up, looking sheepish. "I'm sorry, Blake. I didn't really mean anything by it, honestly. It just slipped out in a flash of sullen, pouting anger."

"Do you want to talk about it now?" Blake asked, curious.

Weiss shook her hand. "No, nothing immediate. Come on, let's order the cursed noodles situation then."

"'The cursed noodles situation'?" Blake repeated, raising an eyebrow.

Weiss shrugged, and smirked. "Do you want to split an order?"

Yang cleared her throat. "If you're done, then we're ready to order as well. We've been ready for about a minute now, while you two were having your lovers' quarrel."

"Oh, sorry," Blake said. She caught the waiter's eye and nodded at him.

"How are we today? Are we ready to order?" he asked, pulling out a pad of paper and a pen.

* * *

 

The meal was as good as expected, Weiss concluded. As good as Blake had hyped it up to be. Weiss anticipated that she would be revisiting the cursed noodles situation in the future, of course provided that she was willing to duck into the city just for a lunch, which in itself was unlikely. But nevertheless, it was an enjoyable meal. She'd especially liked the cute facial expressions that her girlfriend made when it was the clear that the flavors were assaulting her palate, and when Blake noticed that she had an audience, she'd looked as embarrassed as if she'd been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

However, Blake's antics didn't distract Weiss from paying attention to Yang and Ruby. They had kept to themselves – or each other, rather – for most of the meal, only infrequently engaging Blake and Weiss in a big group conversation. Weiss hadn't bothered to do so, but she was sure that if she had deigned to check under the table, she would have seen linked hands on more than one occasion.

After the meal, as they walked back to the bus stop in their respective pairs, Weiss heard the two of them talking cheerily away in front of them, having what felt like a flowing conversation – _out loud –_ for the first time since they had all gotten together. Ruby even started laughing at one point, and the pleased reaction on Yang's face was priceless.

Weiss turned her attention to her own girlfriend. "They like each other, there's no doubting that," she murmured.

Blake nodded. "Would you call today's venture a successful one?"

"I would," Weiss said. "They'll manage well enough on their own..."

"But that doesn't mean we have to stop keeping an eye on them, does it?" Blake asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Of course not," Weiss said dismissively. "We can always help move things along, like we did today."

Blake paused in step. Weiss, who was latched onto her arm, almost tripped over her feet. Blake looked at her, with an odd look on her face.

"I think I might have an idea for something like that," Blake said. "I can't presume that you'll like it, given everything we've talked about today, but it's an opportunity."

Weiss's face fell for the briefest of moments, but she recovered quickly. "Is it to do with Velvet?"

"It has everything to do with Velvet," Blake confirmed. They continued walking, and Blake went on to explain, "She called me after I ended my most recent library shift, and gave me some news." A beat passed. "She's getting promoted to an assistant manager's position, after someone moved out of the city. I think she's been expecting this promotion for a while now, and she deserves it. She's good for it. Anyway," she continued, seeing the look on Weiss's face, "some other people from work are dragging her to a nightclub to celebrate, the Saturday after next, and she wants me to come, for support, I suppose. She said it's okay if I want to bring people with me, and I do want to bring you, but now I also want to bring Yang and Ruby."

Weiss looked uncertain. "I don't know... if I want to get involved in that..."

"I would appreciate it if you came with me," Blake quickly said, "but in light of everything we spoke about today, I would understand if you suddenly felt less-than-inclined to accompany me."

"Thank you," Weiss said, and kissed Blake's cheek. "It sounds like a good time, but I feel like I would melt into a puddle of uncomfortable nerves if I get within 20 feet of her now. Sorry for sounding horribly neurotic, but that's how I feel. Who knows? I might feel differently by the time Saturday after next rolls around." Blake nodded, but didn't say anything else, and Weiss nudged her. "So?" she prompted.

"Hm?"

"What does this party have to do with Yang and Ruby? Do you want to get them drunk and hooking up in a bathroom or something?"

"Something like that, I don't know," Blake grinned. "Mainly just to give them a kickstart, _if_ they need it, of course."

"That could either be a horrible idea or a brilliant one," Weiss assessed.

"Well, they don't need to do it out on the dance floor, you know," Blake snorted. "They could just come out and have some drinks, and talk. I don't think it's going to be a particularly crazy night, anyway."

Weiss slapped her arm. "Don't be vulgar; it's quite unbecoming of you."

"Blame it on Yang. She's the one that got drunk at five in the afternoon and woke me up by grabbing my breasts," Blake chuckled, remembering that night. "Who knows what living with her has to done to me?"

"Do I have to worry about leaving you on your own from now on?" Weiss wondered aloud.

Blake waved it off. "It's fine. She's been sober a whole week, for one thing. That's progress, if you ask me."

Weiss nodded. "Nobody wants to wake up one day and realize that they're a college-alcoholic."

"Hey!" Yang called to them. Suddenly, both Weiss and Blake became acutely aware of how much they'd fallen behind Yang and Ruby. "Are you two just gonna stand there and idle around, or are you coming back with us? The bus is coming down the street _now!"_

The bus slowed down at the stop just as Blake and Weiss rushed to catch up with their friends. Four college students rode the bus back to the Beacon University campus; two of them panting slightly as they waited for their breath to return, the other two chattering happily.

* * *

 

The next week passed without much fanfare, or anything of note happening. Suddenly, the lives of four college students shifted back into mundane normalcy, as classes and studying became refocused as a priority, and barely-dramatic-romance took the backseat, much to the relief of everyone concerned. Yang, in particular, had the most work to catch up with; it was one of the first things she'd discovered upon sifting her way out of the boozy fog. Needless to say, she hadn't been overly impressed with the personality she coined "Drunk Yang", and resolved that "Sober Yang" would more than make up for it. Naturally, Weiss had pointed out that Drunk Yang and Sober Yang were, at the end of the day, still Yang, regardless of how much she'd had to drink.

Blake, unfortunately, saw little of Weiss during the week. She and Velvet, among a few others at the V Bar, had to pull extra time to compensate for missing work on the day of Velvet's congratulatory party. When she made it back to campus, she was forced to sleep in her own bed in her own room, rather than with Weiss, where she would have much rather preferred to sleep. But with the job keeping her back longer, and the threat of school work looming large, she had to refrain from bothering Weiss, who had also become busy. Most days of the week, she woke up feeling disappointed.

But they managed to find one rich vein of unoccupied time on Thursday afternoon, when Weiss's spare time finally coincided with Blake's normally-free afternoons. They celebrated the occasion by sharing a warm beverage in Weiss's room, and would have been happy to simply spend time relaxing with each other, but with only a few days before they had to meet Weiss's family, both of them recognized that this occasion also carried with it an agenda of sorts.

"So." Blake sipped her tea, and set it back down. "Do you have any idea what you're going to say to them on Sunday?"

Weiss shook her head as she sipped her coffee. "I don't think this is the sort of thing that you just prepare a speech for, especially in that intimate sort of situation."

"Well, do you just expect to waltz in and say, 'Hey family, _lesbian_?'"

"Of course not," Weiss scoffed. "I mean that I'm not going to spend tonight on the computer typing up two pages to recite to them on Sunday. I have to gauge the atmosphere first. I have to ease my way into it, wait for the right moment, you know?"

Blake nodded in complete understanding. "What time are we going there?"

"Mm..." Weiss pulled out her phone, and found the message from her father she was looking for. "Five-thirty."

"Are we staying for dinner?"

Weiss put her phone down, and shrugged. She looked up at her girlfriend with a clouded expression. "We'll see."

 


	13. Corridor Invitations & Partition Anxiety

The Friday afternoon sun beat down on the campus. It was the summertime weather that had been interestingly missing from Blake's time in Vale. Blake was afforded the protection of the class building, so she only had to watch from the corridor window to acknowledge the stillness of the courtyard, baking in the zenith of summer heat. Not for a moment did she envy those crammed together inside the classrooms, likely sweltering. But she hoped that Weiss wasn't feeling too cooked. In any case, her class was going to be dismissed in a matter of minutes, and Blake counted down each moment that passed until she was able to rescue her girlfriend from the inevitable post-dismissal sea of students that swelled into the rather wide corridor, the way it always was after the more "general" classes – primarily those in the Language, Humanities, Mathematics and Commerce disciplines – were dismissed in the afternoons. It was another positive of Blake's choice to have her classes at irregular times in the nights and early mornings, that she didn't have to deal with such insanity.

Gazing out the window, she was caught unawares for when the flood began, and her fellows started pouring out of the classrooms. It was overwhelming in a matter of seconds. Blake spun around quickly and tried to ford her way back to where Weiss would still hopefully be waiting... if she hadn't already been swept away by the tide.

Blake struggled hard, and tried to plant both her feet on the floor to regain her bearings, but she had been dragged almost to the centre of the crush, and she had to keep her feet moving, lest they simply be stepped on. With this many people compressed into the one space, no one would notice if they stepped on something that might be attached to someone else. Or if they stepped on someone else in general. Blake's eyes widened; suddenly, she was getting a bad feeling about Weiss.

"Weiss!" she cried above the noise. "Weiss! Where are you?!"

There was no response, and Blake started to despair. What if she had already been trampled by this unruly, collegiate mob? What would Blake do then? She was only a poor student herself; it wasn't like she could afford a funeral service for her girlfriend. Not to mention, that situation would be awkward with her family not yet knowing that Weiss even had a girlfriend. Why would such a thing happen, with only two days until she was scheduled to meet Weiss's parents?

"Blake?!" came the faint cry.

Blake fought against the crowd with renewed energy. "Weiss?! Where are you?!" She scanned the crowd around her, and spied a sheen of snowy hair and a waving arm in the doorway of one of the classrooms.

"I'm over here!" Weiss shouted.

Blake ground her heels into the floor of the corridor, and turned towards the voice. Willing herself against the wall, she thrust her arm out in front of her, reaching. It was slow going, but the flood was slowing down, significantly improving her progress. Blake guessed that those at the front of the pack had already reached the building exit; it wasn't surprising that two pegs weren't able to fit into a single hole, and the exit, while reasonably wide, hadn't been built with the expectation of situations like this. The mass had no choice other than to slow their exodus in order to create some sort of rambling flow out of the building exit.

Using this decrease in speed to her advantage, Blake managed to force her way laterally through the crowd, her right arm stretched out in front of her. She kept moving forward until she felt the air around her hand.

"Blake, is that you?" Weiss said.

"Yes! Take my hand!" Blake instructed. Weiss did as she was told, and added her modest weight to Blake's effort. Before long, Blake came flying out of the pack and cannoned into Weiss. Momentum sent them tumbling back into Weiss's classroom and down a couple of the aisle stairs as well.

Breathing heavily, they sat up and smiled at each other. Weiss took Blake's hand. "Are you okay?"

"I'll live. You?"

"I'm fine," Weiss said dismissively. "I'm not the one who just got packed into a can of sardines. You should have been more careful," she huffed.

Blake raised an eyebrow. "Worried about me?"

"Geez, what do you think of me already?"

Blake stood up, and pulled Weiss up with her. "Thank you."

"Oh! Excuse me?"

The two girlfriends turned towards the doorway, where Pyrrha stood with a look of concern etched on her face.

"Can we help you?" Blake asked.

"Were you the one I saw shooting out of the crowd in the hallway? I thought something was wrong, and I saw you fly into this room, so I came through the crowd to make sure no one was hurt."

Blake swallowed. _What is she, superhuman? How did she break through the crowd so easily?_

"We're fine, Pyrrha," Weiss assured.

Pyrrha's eyes lingered on Blake as she spoke, examining them, their linked hands, how close their bodies were, the way they spoke as an entity, rather than two individuals. Clearly, they were very close. She didn't know what to feel, what she _was_ feeling. Was it jealousy? She squashed the feelings back down inside of her, and simply nodded at them. "Okay. I'll see you around then."

"There you are!" Nora said, bouncing into the room. She threw a light punch to Pyrrha's arm. "Don't just go running off without warning like that, okay?" she scolded, and then she took notice of who Pyrrha had been talking to. "Weiss! How are you?" she grinned.

Weiss shrugged. "Fine."

"Uh..." Blake began, stepping forward with her hand out, ready to be shaken. "It's nice to properly meet you two. I'm Blake-"

Nora stepped forward and shook Blake's hand vigorously, not seeming to realize that she was crushing her hand in a vise. "Hey, I'm Nora!" she introduced happily.

"Right," Blake smiled, painfully. "You're Ren's girlfriend, aren't you?"

Nora nodded. "That's right! How do you know Ren?"

"Food. I asked him to make a meal for Weiss and myself, and it was, quite probably, the best thing I've ever tasted," Blake said, honestly.

"Nora, stop that, please," Pyrrha interjected. "You're destroying her hand."

"Oh! Sorry!" Nora winced, and hastily dropped Blake's hand, as if it had suddenly burst into flame.

Blake rubbed her hand, but smiled anyway. "It's okay."

Pyrrha introduced herself as well – good-naturedly dismissing Blake's offer to shake hands, in light of Nora's introduction.

"It's nice to meet you," she said. Again, she buried those confrontational feelings that surfaced within her when she saw Blake and Weiss standing together.

"Say," Nora cut in, interrupting Pyrrha's stewing, "you gals should come tomorrow."

Weiss looked at Blake and was glad to see that she wasn't the only confused one. "I'm sorry?"

"Ren's planning on cooking some fancy-shmancy meal for two," Nora explained. "Why don't you three join us?"

"I thought it was a meal for two..." Blake whispered to Weiss.

Pyrrha exchanged an awkward glance with Weiss. "Nora, I don't know if that's such a good idea..." She watched Blake and Weiss, who surreptitiously nodded in agreement.

Nora looked disappointed. "Aw, come on! It'll be a great time!"

"Why are you so eager to have extra company during a night for the two of you as a couple?" Pyrrha asked. "Are the two of you experiencing relationship troubles?"

Nora scoffed, as if the very notion was almost offensive to her. "Don't be silly, Pyrrha. It's just a habit of Ren's to go over the top with the amount of food he makes. Normally, we just save the leftovers and eat them throughout the next few days or so, but there's only so much kobe beef and truffles a college gal can eat in a week without having a heart attack, you know what I'm saying?"

Blake had to fight to keep from bursting out in laughter, but a snigger escaped anyway, which earned her a pointy elbow in the side from Weiss.

"Anyway," Nora went on, "you three should really join us! I want you all to come, and I know for sure that Ren won't mind. _Please?_ "

"Sorry, Nora," said Weiss. "But I have to agree with Pyrrha on this one. Blake, what do you think?"

"Actually, I'd quite like to go, and to have all five of us there as well," Blake said, simply. "I'm beginning to enjoy these group meals, I think."

Nora whooped in excitement, and looked at Pyrrha almost expectantly. Weiss frowned at her girlfriend in surprise, but didn't say anything. She guessed that there was more to it than what Blake was letting on, but she didn't want to press the issue right in front of her ex-girlfriend. Instead, she took Blake's hand and walked her away from the others.

"Is something the matter?" Blake asked.

Weiss's eyebrows shot up. "Surely you can read the situation that lies between Pyrrha and myself? Don't you understand the implications of what you are suggesting? I would rather be anywhere else than there tonight."

"I thought that everything was okay with you two," Blake pointed out, her brow furrowing.

"It is," Weiss admitted. "But I haven't really seen her since the day I explained everything to her. Her feelings may have changed since then, especially since she's meeting you for the first time, like this."

Blake crossed her arms. "Perhaps it's best to go through with this, then. If it works out, then we have another person who supports our relationship, potentially another friend of _us_ as a couple. And if it doesn't pan out that way, then so be it." She shrugged. "I'm sure we can find some excuse to leave early if things get too unbearable. But I hope that it doesn't come to that though. Pyrrha seems nice."

Weiss sighed heavily, but then nodded in understanding. "We'll come," she said to Nora and Pyrrha as they returned.

Nora pumped her fist. "Yes! When I see Ren today, I'll tell him that we'll be a party of five tomorrow."

"Five?" Weiss repeated. She looked at Pyrrha, who smiled tentatively.

"Nora talked me into it," she explained.

"This is going to be great, you guys!" Nora gushed. "I'm so glad you can come! Let's go now, Pyrrha?"

"Sure." Looking at Blake and Weiss, Pyrrha said, "Nice to meet you, Blake, and to see you again, Weiss. So, we'll be expecting your company tomorrow."

Blake and Weiss nodded, and watched the others join the drastically-diminished crowd of people in the corridor.

"We've got quite the weekend ahead of us, don't we?" Weiss muttered. "Dinner with those two and Ren tomorrow, meeting with my family on Sunday... I'll admit, it all makes me a little nervous."

"Just a little?" Blake asked.

"Okay, _much_ morethan a little," Weiss admitted. "This can either be a great weekend in our lives, or it can easily be one of the worst."

"Well, I for one hope that it turns out great," Blake said, sliding her arm around Weiss's waist. "You know, I'm nervous too. But I'm also looking forward to it."

Weiss smiled and mirrored Blake's actions.

* * *

 

They were lucky that it was summer, Weiss decided, as she walked with Blake across campus on Saturday evening. If it were November, or even mid-October, she would have flatly refused to dine alfresco. But when Nora had called her, saying that hosting such a large group would call for an outdoor setting, she was willing to agree. She and Blake had dressed relatively casual, in skinny jeans and t-shirts. Blake had tied her wavy mass of hair back into a ponytail, Weiss stubbornly refusing to do the same.

The five of them were meeting up at one of the many stone, round table-and-chair setups dotted around campus. They took the path across campus that led from their accommodation building to Pyrrha's.

Nora jumped up and waved at them as soon as they came within view of the table. "Hey guys!" she yelled. "Over here!"

"We see you, Nora!" Weiss called back. Blake grinned as Ren pulled his energetic girlfriend back down to her seat.

"Hello, everyone," Blake greeted, sitting down. She ended up sitting in-between Weiss and Pyrrha, Ren sitting between her and Nora, and Nora sitting next to Weiss. It was a rather cozy affair, with the hue of evening painting the sky all kinds of pink and orange and blue and red. There was the slightest of breezes rolling along, but the air was still warm enough to justify dressing lightly.

The meal was as they had come to expect from such a budding prodigy, but as the euphoria of it subsided, with everyone commenting about how good the food was, and showering praise on Ren, Blake felt Pyrrha tapping on her arm.

She quickly decided to ask Pyrrha if something was wrong, but the other girl stopped her with a question of her own.

"Would you walk with me, Blake?" she asked.

"Um..." Blake said, uncertain. "Okay, I suppose."

They both stood at the same time and Pyrrha started walking away first. Blake looked at Weiss for a hint of knowing, but her girlfriend's equally-unsure expression told her nothing.

Blake quickly caught up with Pyrrha, and the walked the path together in silence for a minute or two, until they were walking far out of reach of the dinner party.

"You wanted to talk to me?" Blake eventually prompted.

"I did," Pyrrha said, looking at the ground underneath her feet. "I'm just thinking of the right words to say so that you don't think of me as petty or jealous."

"You're jealous?" Blake frowned.

"A little bit," Pyrrha admitted. "You're lucky, you know. Weiss is a lot of things, and a great person is one of them."

"She's okay, isn't she?" Blake said coyly. "And I know I'm lucky. But do you feel mad about being forced to spend time around your ex-girlfriend and her new girlfriend?"

"Not mad, per se, just tense. After Weiss spoke to me all those weeks ago, I couldn't help but feel a renewed sense of disappointment. We didn't see each other a whole lot after that, but I was hoping that next time I'd see her, it would be alone. That's a horrible thing to say, but maybe I just needed to distance myself from her." She kicked at the ground, and Blake heard a small rock skitter across the path in front of them.

"What did you do?"

"What else is there to do at college besides socializing and class work?" Pyrrha said, shrugging. "I cut down on the former and focused more on the latter. I really only ended up speaking to Ren and Nora most of the time. Not that I'm complaining about that, though," she quickly added. "They're always good company as long as they're not being too lovey-dovey in front of me.

"I didn't really want to come tonight, either," she said. "But I'm sure you could see that yesterday. You and Weiss didn't want to either. I suspect I know why you didn't want to attend, but you can keep that to yourself. I didn't want to attend because I didn't know if I was ready to throw myself into such a radical change of environment, and especially if Weiss was going to be involved. I worried."

"We just thought it would be too awkward," Blake pointed out. "As well as a little overstuffed. Tomorrow we're going to see Weiss's parents, have _the_ speech, you know."

Pyrrha stumbled slightly at Blake's words. She caught herself and stared at Blake with wide eyes. "Wh-I'm sorry?" she stammered. "She's going to come out to her parents tomorrow? With you?"

Blake nodded. "They're in town for the weekend, and she's made up her mind."

Pyrrha gaze fell to the ground, and her fists clenched unconsciously. She felt the briefest flicker of unbridled, jealous fury which prompted her to take a step towards Blake. She wanted to interfere. She remembered what Weiss said, all those weeks ago. That _she_ , for all her supposed good qualities, had ended up not being the right girl for Weiss to take to her parents. Did this mean that this _new girl_ was the right girl for Weiss? Was she the one that Weiss loved, so much, that she would make such a critical and potentially-dangerous move in her life?

Burning emerald eyes still fixed on the ground, Pyrrha asked, "Do she make you happy?"

"Happier than I've been in a long, long time," Blake responded quietly. "I want to be with her as long as I possibly can."

Pyrrha clenched her jaw as she looked up again, but her anger vanished when she saw Blake, and the soft expression on her face. Pyrrha recognized the look almost instantly. It reminded her of how she felt when she was together with Weiss. But it wasn't a contest, and Weiss was not some trophy. Pyrrha was certain that Blake didn't see her as a trophy, because Weiss was not that oblivious, and would have tossed Blake to the side almost instantaneously. There was no fight for the affections of the heiress, because the heiress had moved on, and found something more. In recognizing the look, and the gravity it carried, Pyrrha knew that there was no need for her to even bother herself with the business of others.

"I wish you the best of luck, then," she said.

"Thank you," Blake smiled warmly. "Let's head back, shall we?'

Pyrrha smiled as well, wide and pearly. "Indeed."

* * *

 

Weiss thanked Ren for the meal as she stood up, the occasion finally over. Conversation had been surprisingly easy, even without Blake and Pyrrha at the table; their eventual return to the table had simply served to elevate the conversation to a better level.

Blake did the same as Weiss, standing and thanking everyone for their company. After all the appropriate niceties were exchanged, with an invitation from Nora to "do all this again sometime", the couple walked away together. Pyrrha tore her gaze away from them as they disappeared into the night.

"Help me clear this up, Nora," Ren requested, gesturing to the spread.

"Sure!"

Pyrrha stood up and gathered some of the now-empty containers. "I'll go ahead and bring these back to our room. Will you two take care of the rest?"

Nora waved at her. "We've got it covered, Pyrrha," she said with bravado. "You go on ahead now."

The corners of Ren's mouth lifted – as much of a smile as he usually mustered – when he looked at Pyrrha. "Thank you for coming tonight."

* * *

 

The night sky truly upon them, bright globes burned through the darkness, sitting atop lamp posts and illuminating the path back to their housing building. Blake walked by Weiss's side, both of them silent to an extent. It worried Blake, and she would periodically glance over at her companion, almost as if she was looking for permission in Weiss's facial expression to potentially broach the subject.

They only made rather inane conversation on the way back, but when they stood at the base of the stairwell in their building, on the ground floor, Blake had had enough of Weiss's morose attitude.

"Enough," she said, rounding on Weiss. "You've been acting weird for most of the night, and especially so when Pyrrha and I came back to the table. What's wrong?"

Weiss straightened up, and then slumped. Her eyes were anxious when she said, "I was just worried."

"About what?"

Weiss threw her hands up. "I don't know! Pyrrha, I guess. Tonight was the first time I had a proper meeting with her since I laid it all out for her."

"So you were worried about what she would think of me? That's unlike you. I thought we weren't going to let other people influence our relationship."

"I wasn't going to let that happen," Weiss said defensively. "I was just curious how it would go, and it grew from there, I suppose."

"Come here," Blake said, opening her arms. Weiss stepped forward, and they enfolded each other in their arms. "You dummy. Stressing yourself out over something like that. What does that mean for tomorrow, I wonder?"

"Don't call me a dummy," Weiss frowned. "And we'll be fine tomorrow." She was adamant.

Blake grinned, " _Dummy."_

Weiss gently butted her forehead against Blake's. "Stop it."

" _Dum-my,_ " Blake enunciated. Weiss giggled, and Blake smiled, relieved that she hadn't gone too far. She tilted her head and met Weiss's lips, quickly. When she pulled away, Weiss gave chase and kissed her back.

Their lips came together and parted with frequency, until Weiss started to pant. Without warning, she pulled out of the embrace they had locked themselves in, and took Blake's hand.

"We're not doing this in the stairwell," she explained, a rosy dusting on her face. She flew up the flights of stairs to the third floor, practically dragging Blake behind her.

"Doing what in the stairwell?" Blake said, taken aback by Weiss's speed.

Weiss stopped, a couple of steps away from their floor, and turned around to face Blake, squeezing her hand tight. They came up the stairs together, Weiss walking backwards and facing Blake.

"I want to be with you, Blake," Weiss said, softly. "I want to hold you tonight, with nothing else between us."

Blake's eyes widened in understanding. "Are you sure you want to do this?" she said, her eyes boring into Weiss's.

"Don't you?"

Blake nodded. "I do."

Weiss looked satisfied. "That's all the assurance I need," she said, before smashing her mouth against Blake's.

They crashed into Weiss's empty room, and fell together onto her bed. Silently, and not too silently, they were grateful that the weather had permitted them to dress light. It made what came next that much easier.

* * *

 

Her blanket rolled up at the foot of her bed, Pyrrha, dressed for bed, slid inside her sheets. She'd left the light on and the door unlocked for Nora, but she wasn't planning to fall asleep immediately. And when Nora came back, she was thankful that Ren wasn't with her. She wasn't sure why, but she only wanted to have the presence of her best friend around her, after the events of the night.

"How was all that?" was the first question that her friend asked. "Get through the awkwardness alright?"

Pyrrha shrugged. "It was fine. _I'm_ fine. I like Blake; I... got a good impression from her, from the conversation we shared."

"Really? You were real edgy for a bit when you found out Weiss was seeing someone new," Nora said skeptically.

"That was _then_ , Nora," Pyrrha said, certain "I'm fine with it."

"Well, I'll take your word for it, then."

"Here's a more important question," Pyrrha began, changing the subject somewhat. "Would you really want to do that again? The five of us for dinner?"

Nora beamed, "Of course!"

* * *

 

Weiss woke on Sunday morning feeling groggy and exhausted, like she hadn't gotten enough sleep. Then she heard Blake's steady breathing next to her, felt the warmth of her bare skin under the sheets they shared, and realized that she indeed hadn't gotten enough sleep.

 _I regret nothing_ , she thought, smiling.

She checked her phone, 9.24 AM emblazoned across the lock screen.

"Sun's too bright," muttered Blake. She threw her hand up to her head and scrunched her face, as if trying to force her eyes even more closed than they already were. When her hand came up, the sheet covering her slipped slightly, revealing flawless skin that still made Weiss's jaw drop, even though she'd seen it all over the course of the night.

"Do you want me to make some calls, see what I can do about it?" Weiss joked. She kissed Blake's cheek, and her girlfriend opened one eye.

"Did we miss meeting your parents?"

"The car will be here at 3:45 PM, at the earliest, so no. Don't worry," she said, putting her phone down. "We've got plenty of time."

Blake groaned, pulling away slightly. She propped herself up on one arm, then looked Weiss in the eye and smiled tenderly.

"How are you today?" she asked.

Weiss stretched her arms up, and smiled back. "Last night was great. You were alright too," she added after a pause.

Blake pouted uncharacteristically, and lightly whacked Weiss with her free hand. "In case you didn't notice, I was here the whole time," she said. She cupped Weiss's cheek in her hand, and studied her face carefully. "I'm being serious though. You didn't get freaked out or anything?"

"I've seen gay girl sex before, you know," Weiss said, rolling her eyes. " _And_ I've read about it in books."

"Now just _where_ have you been seeing gay girl sex, Weiss?" said Blake with a twinkle in her eye.

Weiss blushed. "D-don't jump to any conclusions, okay! I just watch it for research, so get those thoughts out of your head!"

 _Cute._  Blake smiled. She kissed Weiss deeply, and they stayed that way for a couple of minutes. Blake shivered when she felt Weiss's hand slide from her chest down her stomach. _Cute_ and _confident,_ she silently amended.

"This is not getting us out of bed anytime soon, is it?" Weiss said eventually, her hand still caressing Blake's curves.

"But I thought we had plenty of time."

Weiss looked at Blake with mock incredulity. "We can't stay in bed all day, surely."

Blake shrugged. "Why not? I've done it before."

"But you practically turn into a cat when you're left unchecked, and I don't want to be the enabler of your unhealthy habits."

"Come _on_ ," Blake groaned. She slipped her hand down to her waist, where it found Weiss's hand. "How about a compromise?"

"Go on."

"Well – I can't recall if we ever locked the door when we came in last night. That being said, Ruby is not in the room right now, so maybe we did. However, if we didn't, then she might just walk in any minute now."

"You're not exactly convincing me to stay in bed right now," Weiss interjected.

"Hear me out," Blake said. "Now, I don't want to get out of bed, and I know that, deep down, neither do you. Even if it is just to check the lock on the door. So-" She pressed herself against Weiss. Her mouth found Weiss's perfectly-defined collarbone, and she nipped at it, eliciting a restrained gasp from her girlfriend. "How about we make the most of any time we can get?" she whispered.

"You are absolutely... in-incorrigible – ah!"

Blake hummed softly and took firm hold of Weiss's hand, preparing to once again guide her, for however long they would be allowed.

* * *

 

The car was running only a few minutes late, but it was still annoying Weiss enough for her to be tapping her foot rhythmically on the sidewalk.

Blake, sitting on the bench, chose to ignore this tic, but said, "Come sit with me, Weiss. It's not that bad."

Weiss rounded on her. "'Not that bad'?" she said. "What if something awful happened with my parents?"

Blake walked over and put a hand on Weiss's shoulder, trying to provide a calming presence. "What could have _possibly_ happened with your parents to make the _car service_ late? Don't answer that," she quickly added, noticing the look on Weiss's face. "Just calm down, okay?"

Weiss glanced up at her sheepishly, then nodded. "Sorry. I'm just... a little tense," she admitted. "This is the day we've been waiting for. It's the day _I've_ been waiting for, for a couple of years now."

"I know. Which is why you can't go to pieces over the _car service_ being _five minutes late_. Save that nervous energy for your parents."

Weiss nodded again, but looked up when she heard the telltale sound of a car gliding up to the drop-off zone. The black paint job was surprising, but the small, white Schnee Technologies decals were telltale, bright and vibrant in the afternoon sunlight.

As she and Blake watched, a man in a black suit stepped out of the driver's side and, upon noticing them, nodded at the girls.

"This is it, then, Blake," Weiss said. She stepped forward, and the driver opened the door for her.

Blake blew out a deep breath before following her. The driver closed the door behind her, and before long, Blake felt the car purr into motion. The interiors were nice enough. Oddly though, there was a transparent partition, separating the front seats from the back seats.

The journey, although long in itself – Weiss's parents _were_ staying on the opposite end of the city – felt longer than it probably was; Blake and Weiss kept their distance from each other, on the back seat, the empty middle space somehow keeping them separated. They said nothing the whole time, and when Blake shifted her hand to the seat between them, it dismayed her that Weiss displayed no reaction whatsoever.

She was letting herself get wrapped up in anxiety, that much was clear to Blake.

"We're almost there," the driver said eventually. His voice was crackly through the speaker, and it briefly made Blake question not only the necessity of a car with partitions, but also the veracity of Schnee Technologies's reputation.

She reached over and grabbed her girlfriend's arm. Weiss stared at her with wide eyes.

"It's okay," Blake said reassuringly.

Weiss smiled gratefully, and when Blake offered her hand again, she did not hesitate to take it.

 


	14. Bathroom Interludes & Tidal Waves

An example of affluence, privilege and wealth is what the villa portrayed to Blake. She was certain that the heights of the actual Schnee Manor in Atlas were much loftier than their temporary Vale residence, in much the same way that one from such a world might say, "Look at this resort we own – it's nothing compared to what we have back home." Blake thought of the tiny apartment she'd had the fortune to reside in during her time as a tertiary student of Menagerie, and inwardly scoffed at such an idea. She wondered, though, what Weiss thought about such monstrous displays of wealth, especially now that she had experienced sharing a small room with someone else on a university accommodation complex. She didn't bother to ask though, thinking better of herself and their current situation.

Standing inside the entrance, which in itself was slightly overwhelming to her, Blake also theorized that perhaps the Schnee family was one of those successful families who were so well-off that they didn't quite know what to do with their wealth. Then she remembered that the technology business was all about innovation, and they would surely have more than enough venture opportunities to utilize those resources in the not-so-distant future.

The butler – for this family even had to bring a small team of service staffon a two-day visit to see their daughter, it seemed – informed them that Mr and Mrs Schnee would be along shortly, and would they like to have a seat in the living room? Perhaps some waters?

Weiss accepted the offer of beverages, and led Blake to the living room where they each sat down on a firm, white, armchair, situated across from each other. There was a matching two-seat sofa in the organization as well, also white, and a coffee table in the middle.

Eventually, someone showed up with a pitcher of water and glasses with ice in them. The refreshments were placed on the glass-top coffee table – alarm bells rang in Blake's head, at the sheer amount of glass coming together in high proximity – and Weiss shooed the staff away before they could start pouring for her. She poured the glasses herself, and handed one to Blake before taking a steady sip.

Two pairs of footfalls resonated over the smooth, marbled flooring. Blake felt the Schnee parents cross the threshold before she looked up and saw them. He wore a crisp, aqua dress shirt with black trousers and dress shoes, his white hair combed into a perfect part. His wife wore a simple, gray dress, which went surprisingly well with her blonde hair.

"Father. Mother," Weiss said, standing up straight. Blake stood as well, more for the sake of following her girlfriend's lead.

"Weiss. Good to see you," her father said, studying his daughter, as if she'd undergone some radical physical change since the last time he had seen her.

 _Well, I_ am _wearing my hair down this time,_ Weiss thought.

At the same time, Mrs Schnee's piercing eyes examined Blake. "When Weiss told us that she was going to be accompanied by a friend, I was expecting Ruby, the bundle of energy she is. Who are you?"

Blake did her best to sound pleasant, a little unnerved by the detached dynamic of the family. She didn't mention it though. "I moved to Vale and Beacon University recently, from Menagerie," she explained, after introducing herself. "I met Weiss almost immediately, and we became quick friends after that."

"Besides," Weiss cut in, a little unnecessarily, "Ruby has a girlfriend now, so she doesn't have as much time to hound me with these days."

Her parents exchanged a look, and Mr Schnee hummed in acknowledgement. "A girlfriend, you say? That's... interesting. So, shall we move proceedings to the dining room? I hope you're both hungry."

Weiss nodded, and followed her parents as they started talking about the local chef they'd had to hire because their chef in Atlas had been unable to come. Blake walked with her, and noticed a flicker of disappointment on Weiss's face. Blake then realized, understood, that Weiss was testing the waters by talking about Ruby. And her parents had simply brushed the topic aside, which was no help whatsoever.

* * *

 

After the meal was over, Blake couldn't help but admit to feeling a little empty. It wasn't like one of Ren's dishes, with all the wonder they entailed. She likened it to feeling cold in the middle of a wildfire; she knew she was _supposed_ to be experiencing something, but she didn't get it at all. Mr and Mrs Schnee looked pleased with the chef's efforts, but one of many glances at her girlfriend told Blake that she didn't quite agree with them either.

But the reason that Blake was looking to Weiss so much was not for a second opinion on dinner. Weiss had been mostly silent for the duration of the meal, and the only things she bothered to tell her parents regarded her studies. She wouldn't meet Blake's eyes, either; a sharp, discreet shake of the head at the beginning of the meal had told Blake that she wasn't quite ready.

So Blake worried. She didn't know how much longer the visit would be – although she guessed not long, since the food had come and gone – and Weiss did not look any closer to telling her parents. Was she having second thoughts, after all this time, and all this mental preparation?

As soon as Mr Schnee suggested they move things back to the living room for a drink, Blake stood and hastily interrupted, asking for the bathroom. Mr Schnee offered for one of the staff to accompany her, but Blake insisted that Weiss go with her. The two girls then departed the dining room with assurances to the Schnee parents that they would meet again in the living room.

"You don't really have to use the bathroom, do you? Otherwise you wouldn't have dragged me with you," Weiss said once they'd entered the bathroom closest to the dining room. Spacious.

"Right," Blake said. "I wanted to know what you're doing, because from where I'm sitting, it doesn't look like we're coming out to your parents anytime soon."

"I know, I know," Weiss frowned. "I get nervous every time I think of saying it."

"Do you want me to somehow introduce the topic, lead you in?"

"No, you don't have to do that." Weiss crossed her arms. "Just... let me handle it. I can do this, okay?"

"You don't have to do that. You're _my_ girlfriend, after all."

"Don't worry," Weiss said with a smile, crooked from uncertainty. "I can do this."

Drinks had already been poured by the time they returned to the living room. They sat together on the sofa this time, which meant that Weiss's parents were practically sitting either side of them.

"So, Blake," Weiss's mother said, taking a sip first. "What made you decide to leave Menagerie? I've been down there for business before; it wasn't an unpleasant place."

Blake ignored the remark and told her the same reasons she'd told Weiss in their first real conversation. Her father then cut in by regaling them with a story from any number of years before Weiss's birth, of how he had gone to Menagerie with some friends, and the resulting hijinks their youth had brought about. The conversation spiraled onwards from there, and Blake kept watching her girlfriend out of the corner of her eye. It looked like she was steeling herself, but she still held her tongue, perhaps looking for an opportune break in her parents' conversation.

When the night had properly fallen, and Blake was resigning herself to the idea of both of them remaining closeted to Weiss's parents, she felt a hand slide loosely into her own. She glanced down between them, and saw that Weiss had slipped their hands together, hidden from the view of her parents by their bodies. To them, it merely looked like they were grasping the sofa seat. The hold of Weiss's hand was only light, but it was comforting.

Mr and Mrs Schnee seemed to be having a conversation of their own, not really looking to their guests for anything other than the occasional mundane input. Then Mrs Schnee turned to Weiss and asked her, "How do you feel about these rising property costs in Mistral, dear? Should we halt expansion there for the time being?"

Weiss looked up from her lap, simply staring at nothing. "Mom, Dad. I'm gay," she said, with no preamble, no real foreshadowing, not even a deep breath.

To Blake, it almost seemed too random to be true. She was sure that she was just hearing what she wanted to hear, but judging from the expressions of Weiss's parents, she wasn't quite as sure.

Her mother, looking a little baffled, and said, "Well, I don't think that's the answer I was looking for." If it wasn't so tense, Blake might have laughed out loud at such a response.

"Weiss, are we hearing you correctly?" Mr Schnee said after a pregnant moment of silence. Weiss nodded meekly, as if only just realizing what it was she'd said.

"If you two will excuse us," Mr Schnee then said, taking his wife's hand. "Your mother and I need a minute or two to talk in private."

Weiss nodded again, a little more certainly this time. "Of course... let's wait in the dining room, Blake," she said. She stood up, bringing Blake up as well, and their entwined hands were suddenly in full sight of her parents. Neither of them dared to let go; Weiss squeezed tighter as she pulled Blake out of the living room, like she was a lifeguard pulling a drowning swimmer to shore. It struck her as ironic that _she_ was the one who suddenly felt like she was drowning, though.

They remained standing even after they entered the dining room, up against the wall. Blake pressed closer against Weiss, and felt her as her body shook. She wasn't crying, nor did she look distressed. But she didn't look comfortable, by any means.

"What was that? What just happened" she said, a little breathless.

Blake swept Weiss's hair away from her face for her. "I'm not too sure myself, but I believe you just told your parents of your gayness."

Weiss nodded slowly. "Okay... I don't know if my mother's response was a good sign or a bad one."

"Well, she didn't explode, and neither did your father. He didn't kick you out," Blake proffered unhelpfully.

"It sure is nice to get that vote of confidence from my lovely girlfriend," Weiss said sarcastically. It did nothing to stop her shaking.

"Look," Blake said, rolling her eyes. "You told them, and we're still here, aren't we? That can only be a positive, right?"

"Or they're working out an appropriate punishment for my insolence, and want to see my face when they lay down the sentence." Weiss slumped back against the wall. "Maybe I made a mistake. Maybe I should have thought this through a bit more. Or asked. Asked you." She looked at Blake. "How did you come out to your parents?"

"Well..." Blake trailed off, not looking her in the eye. "This might not be the best time to introduce my parents, but they... they're both gone. More than a decade ago. So..." She frowned. "I've never really had this problem before, you know."

"Oh, no..." Weiss said, immediately regretting bringing it up. Sympathy shone in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Blake."

"Look, don't worry about it," Blake said, waving it off. "I'm 19 now, and I wasn't even eight years old when they died, I think. I was taken care of, though. In such an unforgiving city, I look back and feel surprised that they had programs and scholarships for people like me."

"I never knew any of this about you..." Weiss trailed off. "What was it? If you don't mind me asking, that is..."

"Robbery gone wrong, from what I heard. I never got the full story," she added, after a long pause. "But hey... I'm fine with it now. I remember them, I keep them in my heart, and that's enough for me." She glanced up. "I'm sorry I never told you until now, though. But it never came up."

"Still..."

"Weiss," her father called. "You may come back now."

"Forget about my parents, okay. This is your moment," Blake said. She raised Weiss's hand, so they both could see the link between them, and kissed Weiss's cheek. "I'm here, okay? Remember that."

Weiss nodded. "Will you keep holding my hand? Please?"

"Of course I will."

"Then here we go," muttered Weiss.

In the living room, Mr Schnee was sitting back in his seat, one hand stroking his chin, as if in deep thought. Mrs Schnee sat delicately poised, and flinched a little when she saw Blake and Weiss's hands, clasped together.

"How long have you known this about yourself, Weiss?" Mr Schnee said, after a long silence.

"I knew for sure about five suitors ago," Weiss replied, without missing a beat. "But if you're asking how long I've been gay, how long does one know their own name?" she asked rhetorically.

"We've only ever tried to set you up with six young men, though," her mother pointed out. Weiss shrugged.

"Listen, dear," her father said, raising a hand. "Know that we're not mad at you. We're more disappointed, but more in the fact that you kept this from us for so long. Did you not think that you could tell us something as significant as this? Did it not occur to you to say something when two parties were trying to set you up for an engagement with an heir? We could have worked something out to suit your preferences, I'm sure."

Weiss frowned. "What sort of a question is that? Of course that's how I thought; I was just a little kid! And I would never wish to disrupt Daddy's business, now would I?" she added, sarcasm not so subtle in her voice.

"If you had told us, I'm sure we could have arranged a female suitor for you," said Mrs Schnee, slowly.

"Is that all this is about?!" Weiss exploded. Blake felt the grip on her hand tighten. "All you can think of at a moment like this is business?! Do you know how long I was struggling with the idea of telling you, _my parents_ , about this one part of me that means so much? Do you even care?"

Mr Schnee sighed. "Weiss, your anger is completely unnecessary, and it seems like you've created previous predictions in your head about how this conversation was going to turn out. You seem to be acting on those predictions, rather than listening to what we're saying. Calm down, take a deep breath, and focus on what's happening right now. Realize how much of a shock this is to us, okay? We understand what it is you're saying, and we still love you." Beside him, his wife nodded, but remained tight-lipped. "Tell us what you want to hear from us, if that's what you need. As long as we can have a rational discussion about this, we will all emerge from this day with a better outlook. After all, we're not dinosaurs here, are we? We're not ones to shy away from this topic. But, will this revelation affect your future control of the company? And if so, then what of your business studies?"

Weiss did as her father instructed, and rubbed her neck with her free hand. "I still wish to take control of the company someday, and my business studies are enjoyable as much as they are useful."

"Very well. And I assume you don't want a suitor of any gender?" her father said, eyeing the couple's hands.

"Your assumption is correct. I want to be with Blake for as long as possible, and _no one_ is going to tell me or make me do otherwise."

"Hm. Then we'll arrange something to make sure that the company remains stable enough to not require a merger of marriage when you take control. We'll revise our plans for the long-term to suit you."

"Thank you for that," Weiss said. She added, "I don't wish to make either of you uncomfortable by talking about the more personal details, and... I don't really feel up to talking about it tonight. Is that okay?"

"If that's your wish, then that's fine," Mr Schnee said, and glanced at his watch. "The time is six-fifteen," he announced. "Do you wish to stay a little longer, or do you want me to call the car around?"

"We should probably go now," Weiss said. She glanced at Blake, who nodded.

"I have a class at five, tomorrow morning," she explained.

"All right then." Her father nudged his wife, after sending a quick message. "Anything you wish to say, dear?"

Mrs Schnee wrung her hands, and looked her daughter in the eye. "I want you to know that I'm happy for you, dear," she said steadily. "It will take time for us to fully come to terms with what you've told us, but you're still our daughter, a member of this family, and if you're sure that this is your life, then that's enough for us at the moment. When you want to talk more about it, I can't guarantee that we'll be ready, but hopefully we'll get there someday."

"Thank you, Mother."

"The car is waiting for you out front," Mr Schnee said. He stood, and his wife and their guests followed suit.

The Schnee parents guided their guests down to the bottom of the doorstep, where they surprised Weiss by giving her a longer-than-usual embrace. After whispering words to their daughter that went unheard by Blake, Mr Schnee released his daughter and took Blake's free hand in an unsteady grasp.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Blake," said Weiss's father.

"Likewise."

Mr Schnee then lowered his voice, saying, "See to it that you take care of her."

Blake nodded. "Absolutely."

He drew away, and joined his wife at the top of the doorstep. Blake saw the pained smiles they had on their faces, their rigid movements as they began to wave goodbye. This was hard for them, she could see. And not for the first time, she wondered: what would her parents have done? There was much to be said for Weiss's parents, in the way they took the news to the way they had even offered to keep the night going. They were as new as they could be to the unofficial PFLAG club, but they were already doing their best. A commendable effort.

"You're a lucky girl," Blake said, as they entered the back seat of the car again. "You know that, don't you?"

"I do. I'm very fortunate that they took things as well as they did." After a pause, she added, "I apologize for blowing up for a moment back there. I think part of me wanted to get angry at them, when they were being fairly reasonable." The car set off, and they were on their way again. "It didn't quite go to the dramatic script I was expecting."

"Are you seriously complaining about not having a big fight with your parents in your all-important, third-act, coming-out scene?" Blake said with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, of course it sounds ridiculous when you say it like that," Weiss said with a wry smile.

"Look," Blake said, snuggling up against Weiss on the back seat. "You don't have to make things so hard on yourself by wishing for distressing movie scenarios. All things considered, it went very well tonight. And," she added, affectionately punching Weiss's shoulder, "I am incredibly proud of you."

Weiss wanted to pour out the joy she felt; at that moment, as the car rolled through Vale, back to Beacon, where they would walk back to their rooms – maybe they would sleep together again, maybe they wouldn't – Weiss knew for sure. The realization hit her like a tidal wave, threatening to drown her in a chasm of raw emotion. But she surfaced, and clung to her girlfriend almost like her life depended on it. And in a way, she felt like it did.

When they made it back to Weiss's room, they went to bed together again, and Weiss spent the rest of the night doing her best to show Blake what she'd realized.

 


	15. The Vest & Bathroom Confrontations

As a result of Weiss and Blake performing _certain acts_ in their room, Ruby suddenly found herself a little displaced. She hadn't wanted to interrupt them, because they were doing things that were perfectly normal in a relationship. Yang was more than happy to oblige for the girl she was dating, but Ruby still found it difficult to ask Yang if she could stay with her every night, especially considering how new their relationship was. She didn't want to feel as if she was impinging on Yang's space.

Her official roommate seemed to have been full-on sleeping with Blake since Saturday, the day, Weiss had told her, that they'd had dinner with Pyrrha. Ruby had only found out about their romantic entanglements when she walked back into her room on Sunday morning. It hadn't quite bothered her, that two beautiful people had been having sex in her room, but the forms of Blake and Weiss, sleeping and naked under the covers hadn't exactly been a welcoming sight when she needed to get some studying done.

Afterwards, Weiss had politely asked her if she could please stay away from their room at nights, if it wasn't too much trouble? Ruby had made the case, quite vociferously, that it was her dorm room as much as it was Weiss's, so they'd agreed to come up with a compromise... at some stage. Until that time, Ruby supposed that she was willing to let the kids have their fun; she would continue to stay with Yang until Blake came back and signaled that the coast was clear.

Two days afterward, around the middle of Wednesday, Blake came back earlier than Ruby was expecting. But, to pique her interest, it represented an invitation.

"You're inviting me to go with you to a nightclub on Saturday?" she repeated, making sure she was hearing it right. "Where's Weiss?"

"I want both of you to come, actually," Blake said, sprawling out on her own bed for the first time in a number of days. "And what about Weiss? She's busy, and I've been busy with my own things, so I came over from the library."

Ruby shook her head. "I meant, where will she be on Saturday night? Doesn't she want to go with you?"

"It's a personal thing with her." Blake twiddled her thumbs. "So she'll stay here, and it'll be the three of us, helping Velvet celebrate this big moment in her life."

"Blake, I don't believe you," Yang said with false contempt. "You know that I'm three-and-a-half weeks sober now. Why would you do this to me?"

"You don't have to drink," Blake said, drawing her legs up. "And we'll be there to make sure no one forces any drinks into your hands."

"If I'm not going to drink, then what else is there do in a club?"

"How many nightclubs do you think I frequent every week? Zero, for the record." Blake sighed. "I don't know, just dance with your drunken girlfriend... kiss your drunken girlfriend. Carry your drunken girlfriend home at the end of the night..."

"Do it with my drunken girlfriend in the bathroom stall?" Yang finished.

"Ugh, _Yang,_ shut up!" Ruby hit her on the arm, and pouted at Blake. "This is all based on me getting fall-down drunk, you know."

"Well, you don't have to be drunk," Blake suggested. "All that stuff you can do sober."

Ruby threw Yang's pillows at her. "Why didn't you say that the first time then?!" she said, irate.

Blake fluffed up the pillows and shrugged. "I thought it might be more enjoyable to do unspeakable things in a nightclub when drunk."

"Do you and Weiss do things when you get drunk?"

"We don't drink that much. I mean, I'm back at the bar this week, but now after my shift I come straight back here." Which was true. In past, she would wait around and share a drink with Velvet, but pulling extra time every night in anticipation for Saturday left her too exhausted to want to do anything other than go back and crawl into bed with her girlfriend. "And besides," she added, "relationships aren't all about fooling around and fumbling with your clothes off, you know."

Yang exchanged a look with Ruby. "We... weren't saying that they were," she said, awkwardly.

"Hm? Oh, right. Sorry."

"Something on your mind?"

Blake quickly said, "Don't worry about it."

"Blake..." Yang probed. "Is it something to do with Weiss?"

There was a long silence as Blake stared at them. Ruby shifted uncomfortably under the intensity of her eyes, but Yang wasn't one to be fazed so easily.

"What happened?"

"Nothing," Blake said. "Like I said, don't worry about it. I've just been thinking about some things this week, that's all. Nothing for you two to bother yourselves with."

"But it does have something to do with Weiss," Yang said again.

"Ugh, yes! Happy now?" she said, throwing the pillows back. The others swiped at them, sending them flying in different directions.

"Well, if it has something to do with Weiss, then it _does_ kinda concern us," Ruby tried.

"It's all in my head, okay?" Blake said, pointing to her temple. "Just... I don't know, leave me with it. Don't worry; everything's fine with us. It's wonderful," she added, a little wistfully. The other girls looked unconvinced, but they said no more on the subject, allowing Blake to awkwardly clear her throat and say, "So, Saturday night, you two?"

"We'll be there," Yang said.

"Great. Ruby," Blake said, holding up one finger. "Why don't you meet the two of us here, and we'll all go together."

"Okay."

"Ah, yes," Yang said, with mock-seriousness. "For we are all poor college people, aren't we?"

"Except Weiss, kind of," Ruby pointed out.

Yang nodded. "Except Weiss, kind of," she agreed, looking pointedly at Blake.

"What? Are you two trying to insinuate that my insecurity is connected to Weiss's wealth?" Blake said defensively. She crossed her arms. "That argument is flimsy at best; with a few exceptions, she lives the same life here as the rest of us."

Ruby pulled her lips into her mouth, and shook her head, but Yang's cocked head gave her away.

"That's not what we were getting at at all, but... Blake... are you worried that Weiss's parents will go back on their promise?" she asked, concerned. Before Blake could answer, she went on, "I once met this woman from Vacuo, who came out to her father – he was her only parent – and years later, he all but forced her to try and get engaged to the son of a family friend, even though he'd promised to accept her for who she was when she came out. It sounds insane, doesn't it?" she said, noticing Blake's expression. "It's true though."

Blake's brow furrowed. "What happened to the woman?"

"She told the guy – the fiancé – the truth about what had happened, and he helped her disappear here – to Vale," Yang said nonchalantly. "She met a feminist writer, and they've been married for five years or so now. I think it was back in March, when I bumped into them downtown. One thing led to another, and then there was a coffee klatch for three going on."

"That's a great story," Blake admitted, "but I can't let myself think about things like that at the moment, you know? How Weiss's parents may or may not act in the future is to do with them. For one, I believe that they were genuine with what they said to us, but that's where my thoughts about it end. If anything should come up, then we'll deal with it, but right _now_ , there's just so much going on. There's no reason why we should stress ourselves over a potential situation that may or may not happen many years in the future."

"Then why are you being so cagey?"

"Because! It's a different thing!" Blake hissed, throwing her hands into the air. "Just... leave it alone, would you?"

A tense silence fell across the small room, very much signaling the end of the topic.

"Okay," Ruby began eventually, awkwardly trying to breathe some life back into the room. "Yang, what are you thinking of wearing on Saturday?"

"Wear something classy and trendy," Blake said, "but don't go overboard. You want an idea? I'm going to be wearing a white button-shirt, black jeans and black boots. I wouldn't recommend wearing a dress or something like that. It's probably going to be stuffy."

"That's good advice," Yang said. "It probably wouldn't be a good idea for you to wear a red dress there without Weiss around, right?" She chuckled, but she was the only one amused. Blake stood up and stared at her, stared through her.

"I'm going for a walk," she mumbled, ice in her eyes. She stormed out, the door slamming loudly behind her.

Ruby stared at Yang as well, shaking her head. "What's wrong with you?"

Yang hung her head and sighed. "She told me to leave Weiss alone, I should've left it alone," she muttered. "But I didn't mean it," she added a bit hopefully. But Ruby didn't take the bait.

"It doesn't matter if you meant it or not," she said. "We don't know exactly what's eating Blake, but guess what? She doesn't want to tell us, and she's not comfortable with it. As her friends, we need to respect that, and not poke-" She jabbed Yang in the side, hard, with her finger. "-the bear. Got it? Have a filter for once."

"I will," Yang promised. "I'll apologize to her when she comes back."

"Great. Now, while she's out, I'm going to go and steal some quality friend-time with Weiss."

"What about me?" Yang pouted. "What am I going to do?"

Ruby shrugged. "Study?" She smiled and kissed Yang on the cheek. "I'll see you later."

"See ya," Yang said, and suddenly she was alone. She stared at her open notebooks and the laptop on her desk. "What are you looking at?"

* * *

 

The phone was not lighting up, no matter how many times Weiss looked at, no matter how many texts she sent to Blake. Just two messages she had received from her girlfriend all day, since she'd woken up and left Weiss with the knowledge that she was going to be spending a lot of time at the library that day, busying herself with work.

She appreciated her girlfriend's endeavors to work harder. After all, she had figured that the excitement of this new, wonderfully-intimate part of their relationship would make it more difficult to balance things, but Blake's new attitude had put paid to that notion almost entirely.

In fact, they hadn't done anything of that nature since Sunday night, after coming back from visiting her parents. Yet she'd told Ruby to stay away regardless, in the hopes that Blake would be a little more present.

She tried not to dwell too much on Blake's sudden odd behavior. She felt that Blake was just busy, doing her thing, and her mind was a little preoccupied. That was okay, Weiss thought. She didn't see a problem with giving Blake some breathing room. She just wished that she could talk to her about whatever was bothering her, the way they were used to doing.

* * *

 

Yang didn't see Blake again until the morning after, when she was waking up to brace for the new day. Blake had come back to the room about an hour after leaving, but Yang wasn't in the room, and Blake only came back to change into her bartender's attire. Five minutes after coming back, she was gone again, heading out to the bus stop. She'd texted Yang, a brief and terse message letting her know what was happening. Yang had replied, _Great. I need to talk to U._ Blake hadn't responded.

She watched Blake while she still slept. She compared this image with how she looked yesterday. Now, in her most vulnerable hours, she looked as peaceful as ever, without all those things weighing on her mind and shoulders.

When Blake woke up a short time later, Yang was boiling the kettle, facing away from her. She rolled out of bed and walked up behind her.

"Good morning," she muttered. Yang almost jumped.

"Geez, Blake!" she said, backing away a few steps. "Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry. I'm sorry, Yang."

Yang's face softened. "It's... really, it's not that big a deal, Blake. I guess I need to sharpen my ears a little more."

"No," Blake said, shaking her head. "Not that. I mean yesterday. I'm sorry for storming out like that, and going quiet on your texts. I just had things on my mind."

"Yeah, no, I get it," Yang said carefully. "But you don't have to apologize. _I_ crossed the line. _I_ should be the one apologizing. I _am_ apologizing. I'm sorry for what I said."

"Yeah, okay... but still, maybe I should've been more open about this thing. It might have been good to get it off my chest."

"Do you want to talk about it now?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I do." Blake started preparing a cup of tea. "Give me a minute."

Yang took her coffee and sat down at her desk. "Sure."

When Blake sat down at her own desk, she said nothing for a moment, stirring her tea and staring absently out the window. Yang watched her patiently, giving her the time she desired. She sniffed, unaware of how loud it came out. Blake raised her head, and licked her lips.

"I think I'm in love with her."

Yang stared at her, and bit her lip. "You think you're in love with her."

Blake met her eyes. "I _am_ in love with her."

Yang's face split into a wide smile. "That's great!"

"Yeah..." Blake said softly.

Her smile fading, Yang narrowed her eyes at Blake. "But?"

Blake shrugged, rolling her head on her shoulders. "But... I don't know. It's weird. I've been in love before." She paused to take a sip. "But I know that this feels different."

"Different how?"

"I don't _know_ ," Blake repeated, exasperated. "I guess, like... okay, like in the past it was all passion and two girls trying to keep the honeymoon alive. Have you ever been in a relationship where every day feels like a new challenge, a higher bar to set. She paid for an expensive lunch yesterday? Then you pay for an expensive dinner tonight, you know. Trying to keep the spark going, while trying not to acknowledge that the spark is actually fading every day, every _minute_."

"But you and Weiss have only been together for, what? A few weeks? A month? What makes that any different?"

Blake barely shrugged. "I don't know. There isn't a spark."

"What?"

"Sorry, that's not what I meant. But it's like we don't have to waste energy trying to keep something burning. I wouldn't call it effortless, though. It's not like we don't have our faults, and our histories, but we can talk openly about pretty much anything, and deal with it together."

"Yeah, okay then. I see what you're getting at, kinda."

"You don't have a clue, do you?"

"A little," Yang admitted. "Does Weiss know how you feel though?" Blake frowned, and looked away.

"Well, that's the other thing."

"You don't know if she feels the same way, and you don't want to weird things out by jumping the gun."

"How is it you know what I'm talking about this time?"

"Because," Yang said, looking wistful. "I've been on the other side of that situation."

"With Ruby?"

"No," Yang said. "No way. Ruby and I know how we feel about each other. I'm talking about the past."

"Oh."

"But that's fair enough. You've got a good thing going, and you don't want to potentially sink it."

"Right."

Yang's brow crinkled. "But you don't find that weird anyway?"

"What do you mean?"

Yang traced her finger over the lip of her mug. "Well, weren't you just saying that you two could talk about pretty much everything? Why can't you talk about this?"

Blake sighed in exasperation. "What can I say, Yang? This isn't like talking about grades. If she doesn't feel the same way, it will almost definitely destroy our relationship. There's always those sad stories about the person who drops the l-word prematurely and things never remain the same between them and their partner. More than half the time they end up trying to drag their relationship longer than they should. I don't want that to happen to us."

Yang sat back, and stared thoughtfully up at the ceiling. Blake watched her, searching for a clue of some sort.

"Do you love her?" Yang asked, finally.

"Yes..." Blake said, confused.

Yang looked at her. "Are you sure?"

"Y-yes."

"Are you sure?"

" _Yes._ "

Yang rose out of her chair. "Are you sure?!"

Blake copied her actions. "Yes!"

"Blake! Are you in love with Weiss Schnee?!"

"Yes!"

Yang sat back down, looking smug. "Then that's all you need to know."

Blake cocked her head. "What do you mean?"

"Sometimes, you just have to take a blind shot and hope for the best. That's pretty much what I was thinking when I was making my case to Ruby."

"Well, that's not really like me..."

Yang smiled comfortingly. "Sleep on it, if you need to. You'll get there."

* * *

 

Blake stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. She looked good – a layer of makeup had been enough to cover the physical manifestations of her anxiety – but she didn't feel good, by any stretch of the imagination.

She was almost ready to go. Yang was out in the room, waiting for her to finish up in the bathroom, while also entertaining Weiss.

But it was the presence of her girlfriend that made Blake uncomfortable, for once. She knew that she'd been acting distant for the latter days of the week, and she suspected that Weiss was feeling hurt by this seeming avoidance. Much to Ruby's delight, she'd gone back to sleeping in her own room, citing exhaustion from work as her main reason for "not wanting to burden Weiss with an unresponsive husk".

The door opened behind her. In the reflection, she saw Weiss slipping into the bathroom and shutting the door.

"Hey," she said.

"You look nice," Weiss said, appraising her, and sidling up behind her. She reached up to rub her girlfriend's shoulders. Blake felt her neck tense.

"Thank you," she said, avoiding Weiss's stare in the mirror. She allowed her neck to relax as Weiss worked her slender fingers along her shoulders and collarbone. But the moment passed before long, and Blake shifted. Weiss got the message, and halted her ministrations, simply resting her hands on Blake's shoulders.

"Planning on getting up to some shenanigans tonight?" Weiss quietly asked. "Should I be concerned? I don't want to get woken up by a phone call from the P.D. at three in the morning, you know."

"Don't worry about us," Blake said. "I'll make sure Yang doesn't get us arrested," she tried to make it sound light, but it came out feeling forced, as did the weak smile that accompanied it.

Weiss hummed, but didn't acknowledge Blake's tension. "Well, I hope you have fun," she said, with an air of finality. She removed her hands from Blake's shoulders and looked down. "I guess I'll see you in the morning-"

"Weiss, do you have a problem with me going out tonight?" asked Blake quietly.

With barely a shake of her head, Weiss remained staring at the floor. "No. Of course not."

Blake turned. Away from the mirror, and the mere reflection, towards the one she loved. The one that still didn't know of her love. She reversed their positions, so that her girlfriend became the one with her back to the mirror.

"Weiss," she implored, none too insistent.

"What do you want me to say?!" Weiss snapped, flicking her eyes up from the floor. "Blake, what do you want from me?"

Blake pulled away. "If you don't want me to go, then just say the words. We can just stay in if you want," she said, trying to search the pale, angry eyes for some kind of answer. Then she frowned. "What's your problem? You know, you've been acting strange all day."

" _My_ problem?! What about you, huh?! You've been avoiding me for almost the entire week now!" Weiss countered, slamming her fist on the sink. The sound of flesh smacking against the ceramic basin made Blake gasp. Weiss bit her lip to keep from crying out in pain. She didn't want to look weak while she was trying to get through to her girlfriend, who now looked mired in regret.

"Weiss, I'm so, so, so sorry," Blake crooned, reaching for Weiss's hand, which she suspected had been fractured. She took it by the wrist, and kissed her palm. Weiss pulled her hand away, and cradled it.

"Damn it, Blake," she muttered. "Why can't you just tell me what's going on?" She waited for an answer, but none came from the stricken Blake. "I've been trying to let you have your space all week, because I thought it would be good for you. Instead, you've just been using your modest-in-reality workload to avoid me. Why are you treating me like this, huh?" She pushed Blake with her good hand, and gritted her teeth. "Why can't you say anything?" she said, frustrated.

"Weiss, I lov-"

"I _don't_ want you to go tonight, okay?" Weiss interrupted. "And it's not about Velvet. I'm over the Velvet thing, honestly. I'm much more hurt that you clearly don't think you can share with me this thing that's playing on your mind enough to make you avoid me. So I don't want you to go. But you know what? If you can't take how I feel into consideration, then I don't care if you go or not." Tears were rolling down her cheeks at this point, and she felt wretched even as the words came out of her mouth. But she knew it had to be said. Blake was crying as well, and the uncharacteristic display was almost enough to make Weiss fold. But she resisted the urge.

"Weiss, please-"

Weiss stepped around her, fighting the need she felt to look her despairing girlfriend in the eye. "I'll see you when I see you," she muttered, striding out of the bathroom, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

"Weiss?" Yang said, coming over to her. "Weiss, wait up! What happened?"

Weiss pushed her away with a grunt, and walked briskly out into the corridor. Yang watched her walk away. She wanted to follow her, but changed her mind when she heard Blake walking out of the bathroom.

"Blake!" she said, going over to her. She looked distraught. "What happened in there?"

Blake glanced at her with red eyes, and flopped down onto her bed. "Had a fight," she said vacantly.

Yang sat by her. "Did you tell her how you feel?"

Blake shook her head, and sniffed. "Never got the chance."

A protective instinct kicking in, Yang pulled Blake's blanket over her, and began stroking her hair. "Do you want to talk about it at all?" she asked gently.

"No."

"Okay. That's okay. What do you want to do about tonight, then? If you want, I can call Velvet, and tell her we can't make it," Yang suggested.

"How much time have we got?"

Yang checked her phone. "Maybe 40 minutes or so."

Blake was silent for a minute, to the point where Yang peered over to see if she was still awake. Then she sat up. "No. We're going."

Yang looked at her like she'd grown a second head. "What? But you-"

"Give me a little bit. I'll redo my makeup, and then the bathroom's all yours," Blake said, wriggling out of the bed. "Tell Ruby to come over when she's ready."

Yang sat, stunned, while her roommate hurried back into the bathroom.

* * *

 

Ruby hugged Yang when the door opened, and let her girlfriend lead her by the hand inside the room.

"Did you see my text about Blake?" was the first question Yang asked her.

"I did," Ruby said, accepting a bottle of water from her. "It was pretty vague, though."

Yang scratched her head. "Yeah, well, that's because everything I told you is everything I know about it. Blake doesn't wanna talk about it."

"You said they were yelling, though. Any idea what about?"

"Nah, it was pretty muffled. It sounded pretty one-sided, though."

"Which side?"

"Weiss's."

Ruby looked despondently at her phone. "I hope everything's alright. I sent her some messages after you told me, but she's not saying anything either."

"She didn't go back to your room?"

"No. She sent me one message saying that she was going for a walk around, but that was it. I'm still trying to get something else from her, though."

Leave it," Yang said. "Blake didn't want to talk about it, so I left it alone. If Weiss doesn't want to talk about it either, then we should probably back off."

"I know," Ruby said, her shoulders sagging. "But this is like, the first time they've had a major fight. Who knows what will happen next? Do you think they'll break up?"

"I doubt it. But Weiss was _crying_ , you know. And Blake as well. Or at least, they were when they were in the bathroom. They came out with their eyes all bloodshot and their cheeks all pink."

"Wow, that's crazy," Ruby said, her eyes wide. "Blake's in there now?"

"Yeah, she said she was going to fix her makeup, and then she'd let me use the bathroom." The door opened, and Blake's light steps graced the room. "Speak of the devil," Yang said, and walked over. "All done?" she asked Blake.

Blake nodded. "All done."

"Fantastic. Entertain Ruby while I'm away, would you?"

"Of course," Blake said. Yang entered the bathroom, leaving her roommate to her girlfriend. Ruby smiled at her company.

"Hi, Blake."

Blake hugged her. "Hey, Ruby. How are you?"

"I am doing great," Ruby said, uncapping her water bottle. "But," she said, her expression turning to one of concern. "How are you doing? Yang told me what happened with you and Weiss. I hope that's okay."

Blake sighed. "It's fine. I'll be fine. We just had an argument, is all. It may have hit us both a bit hard, but we'll get over it." _Hopefully,_ she failed to add.

"But you're alright to go out tonight, anyway?"

"Yeah, yeah, of course," Blake said, waving it off like it was no big issue. "I feel like having some fun. What about you?"

"Well... it's a nightclub," Ruby replied, confused by Blake's cavalier attitude. "I'm sure we'll end up having fun without trying."

Blake nodded. "Right, right. Anyway," she said, changing the subject before it felt awkward. "I'm glad you went with my advice."

"Hm?"

"Your clothes?"

"Oh!"

"Yeah. You look good in a tunic and jeans," Blake commented, smiling at Ruby's outfit approvingly.

"Thank you," Ruby said. She cast her eye over Blake's attire as well. "You're wearing a vest? I thought you were just going with the white shirt?"

Blake looked over herself, and shrugged. "It was a 'why not' moment. But I think it looks good anyway."

"Oh, don't get me wrong, it looks great. A black and white top looks really good on you."

"Thank you. I guess I figured, 'Hey, I'm a lesbian. Why _not_ wear a vest out in public?'"

"Good thinking."

"Hey! You two ready to head out?" Yang said, coming back into the room.

"That was quick," Blake commented.

"Why do you think I let you go first? Ruby, did you see Blake's vest?"

"I did, Yang," Ruby said, trying not to smile. "I can see it because she's wearing it and she's right there."

"She looks good, doesn't she? A real _vest_ -bian, don't you think?"

"Boo," Ruby said, heading for the door.

If a tumbleweed had blown through the room, it wouldn't have surprised Blake. She patted Yang's head, and followed Ruby out to the corridor.

"Come on, it wasn't that bad!" Yang said, catching up to them.

"Oh, no, it was, Yang," Ruby said.

Blake nodded. "It really was."

Ruby went on, "It was so bad, that I'm tempted to rip that vest off of Blake and wrap it around your head for the rest of the night."

"I wish you wouldn't do that," Blake said, frowning.

Yang crossed her eyes and pouted. "You guys suck."

 


	16. Important Bits & Sweatpants

Her love for Blake was no small thing, and it physically pained Weiss to reject her the way she had. But she knew she had to remain steadfast. Blake needed to understand that she wasn't fond of being ignored and set aside, not without a reason at the very least.

She guessed that Blake had gone off with Ruby and Yang to the city anyway, and a stolen peek inside her dorm room confirmed her inkling. It disappointed her, but at the same time she was okay with it. Her anger had nothing to do with Blake's going out, and she didn't want to ruin her friends' plans. So she decided to spend the night doing menial tasks, such as laundry and general cleaning. She changed her bedsheets, as well as Ruby's, for good measure. While it was generally accepted that each tenant was responsible for their own side of the room, and Ruby generally abided by this, Weiss didn't mind taking occasional care of their shared living space.

There wasn't much else to do afterwards, but Weiss didn't want to go to sleep, for fear of potentially falling to the mercy of a bad dream, given the day's events. Of course, this is what she told herself – at the root of it, the simpler explanation was that she felt frazzled and a little messy, emotionally speaking.

So she decided to venture to the campus library, the same one that Blake had apparently been spending most of her time at throughout the week. Unlike Blake, she didn't have a whole lot of work to do, but she didn't want to left with idle hands. A little reading would never go astray either, she surmised.

She carried her laptop under her arm, forgoing a bag of any kind. It was a difficult decision for her to make, but her laptop was thin, light and fully-charged. Not to mention that she wasn't planning to check any books out of the library.

She nodded curtly at the volunteer behind the reception desk, someone that she vaguely recognized from one of her classes.

She sat at one of the partitioned booths, away from other stragglers, and spent 10 minutes meticulously going through her folder directory, cleaning and organizing and decluttering her many files and documents. She steered clear of her pictures – if she started exploring that category, she would not be able to guarantee staying away from the many pictures of herself and Blake, smiling or otherwise at the camera, and if that were to happen, it wasn't unreasonable to suggest that she'd be crying and drunk a few hours later, desperately trying to call Blake in the middle of the night. It seemed a drastic scenario, but she didn't want to rule anything out when it came to how she felt about Blake.

When she'd organized all that she could think of, she immediately got up and made a beeline for the aisles. She didn't want to entertain sitting still for too long.

Going against her usual selections, which comprised mainly of market research journals and testimonials, she decided to peruse the library's selection of classic literature instead, which was extensive in itself.

She didn't want to walk back to her booth with an armful of volumes, which she very well could have, so she made the reluctant decision to choose only one.

Flitting from spine to weathered spine like a hummingbird with a memory case, she avoided keeping track of the time it took for her to make her decision. But, after an amount of time that she could describe as excruciating, she was sitting back down at her booth, feeling triumphant as she examined the thin piece of literary history she'd chosen: _To Examine One's Heart,_ by Luna Winters.

Weiss beamed, feeling very pleased with her selection. Before her was one of the finest examples of lesbian literature, authored by one of her idols. She'd read it before, of course, many times, but it wasn't a book she'd ever owned – despite the far and extensive reach of her family, it was the fear of that same family and the closet she'd been in that prevented such writing from ever reaching her personal shelves.

The copy that the college owned had clearly seen better days, in a way which made the copy from the old bookstore look good. But it didn't devalue the brilliance of the words within, Weiss thought.

She sat back and crossed her legs, propping the book open in her hands. She refrained from mouthing the words as she began to read.

_Mother's signature scent reminded me of Summer Home._

* * *

 

To Blake, the club evoked feelings of adrenaline. The blue hue of the lights, the deep, pulsing bass of horrendous house music, hair plastered to the sweaty foreheads of those that pushed past them. A staircase ascending before them as they walked in led to an upper floor. When she looked up, Blake saw patrons sitting at tables, overlooking the dance floor as if they were seated by a hotel balcony. The group shuffled around these stairs and made their way over to the main bar, where they clustered together. Behind them, the dancers writhed and convulsed to the thumping music, which was loud, but not so much that they had to scream themselves hoarse just to be heard.

Blake caught Yang looking at the shelves of liquor and spirits a little forlornly, and snapped her fingers in front of her face. Her friend looked at her, annoyed.

"What?"

"Avert your gaze, Yang."

"Oh. Sorry."

Blake patted her on the back. "It's fine." To Velvet, she said, "Thank you for inviting us out."

Velvet smiled. "No problem. The others will be along soon."

"Really?"

"I know," Velvet said, looking sheepish. "They dragged me out here tonight, and they didn't even have the foresight to show up before me."

"Your friends sound like busy people," Ruby observed.

"You haven't met them," Velvet retorted. "Who wants a drink?" she asked, looking around at them.

"I'm good. I made promises to look after these two," Blake said, pointing at Yang and Ruby. "Gotta make sure one doesn't go overboard and the other doesn't touch the drinks, after all."

Not for the first time of the night, her mind drifted to wondering what Weiss was up to at that very moment. Did she miss her? Was she keeping herself up, and waiting for her return, or had she already sent herself to sleep?

No, she told herself off. She didn't want to think about Weiss; it hurt too much. She didn't want this one argument, despite its weight, to be the potential end of whatever they had together. If it was, then what did that in fact say about their relationship, and how secure they thought they were together? If something like this was to tear them apart, then perhaps it was never as strong as she'd hoped, or believed it was.

"Hey," she called to Velvet. "I change my mind. Let's do shots!"

"What?"

Blake grinned at her. "Line them up!"

Velvet cocked her head. "Are you sure?"

Blake nodded vigorously. Anything to stop her rampaging train of thought. The glasses came out, and the bartender poured appropriately, but he clearly hadn't been informed that one of them wasn't drinking. So when they each took the glasses, Blake did Yang the favor of taking the extra one. Yang nodded at her gratefully.

"Okay, ladies!" Velvet announced, holding her glass aloft. "On the count of 3!"

* * *

 

Weiss felt livid. Not only was she still reeling from all of the drama of earlier with Blake, but now life had gone and tossed her another handful of lemons. She wanted to separate the seams of another human being, and felt like she could possibly do it, given the appropriate instruments.

She stared with disdain at what was once the ending of Luna Winters's story, at the torn pages and damaged binding that prevented Beacon's copy of the book from ever being resolved again. It was such an immeasurable shame, and she wondered how it had come about.

It was an old story, yes, first published roughly 40 years prior, but that did not mean it was so old that every copy in existence would be falling apart. And granted, this copy was indeed one of the older ones, but she wondered if it had been the target of someone's ire, deliberate or otherwise.

She closed the book and pushed it away, to the far corner of the table. She knew how it ended – she could recite the last three pages almost verbatim – but it still annoyed her that this current experience would be left unsatisfied and incomplete.

So she went back to her laptop, but idled with her fingers on the trackpad, not knowing what else to do with the rest of her night. Her eyes flicked to the clock, which told her that two hours remained until midnight. Any minute now, the volunteer would come to shoo her out, announcing that he had to lock up.

"Excuse me-"

Weiss almost chuckled, and stood up. "I know," she said. "I was just packing up." She closed her laptop and tucked it under her arm, then handed the tarnished book to the young man.

"Thank you," he said as she walked out.

* * *

 

"Woo, I am _exhausted,_ " Velvet said when she shouldered her way off the dance floor and back to their group, a little red in the face. "Um, I need to go to the bathroom. Would you ladies look after that one?" She pointed to Ruby, who was swaying somewhat. Her friends nodded and gave her thumbs up in affirmation.

"Wait up," Blake said, gripping the bar counter. "I'll come with you."

"Sure."

Velvet led the way, which wasn't far compared to the men's restroom. They made a minute amount of small talk, and shut up completely when they were inside.

They stood next to each other at the sinks. When Velvet looked at her, it was in the mirror, and it made Blake think eerily of earlier.

"Blake, I haven't said anything about it, but you seem different tonight."

"How do you figure?" Blake said, frowning in the mirror.

"Well, you're acting like one of the people that comes to the bar to drown their pain, rather than one of the people working behind the bar."

Blake hung her head. "Is it that obvious?" she muttered.

Velvet turned to her and leaned on the counter, her still-wet hand pooling water droplets where it met the surface. "Are things okay with you?" She straightened, then added, "If you want to talk about it, that is."

Blake sighed, and stared down into the sink, leaning with both hands splayed on the counter. "I think I should be feeling great, but I'm actually just feeling miserable. Things should be great, but I don't get it."

"Is it to do with your girlfriend?" Velvet asked her, tiptoeing in the question.

"A little, but it's more about me," Blake said honestly.

"Do you _want_ to talk about it?"

"I don't _know_ ," Blake groaned. "I kind of just wanted to get fucked up tonight, to tell you the truth. But even that's not working."

"Hey." Velvet slapped her on the arm, and Blake looked up. "I'm not going to let you do something that you're definitely going to regret. I've seen too many people in your situation throw away love or whatever because they got drunk and burned their chances of making things right."

"Love," Blake said bitterly. "Love sucks, from my experience. Either you fall for someone who doesn't feel the same way, or you fall for someone and you're too afraid to suck it up and tell them."

Velvet said nothing, feeling like it wasn't her place to interject or presume anything of Blake. Instead, she brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, and gave Blake a look like, _Go on. I'm here._

"When was the last time you had something like this happen?"

Velvet looked thoughtful. "Not since high school, really. But does that count?"

"It counts if you want it to. If it feels like it was important to your life."

"Good to know."

Blake smiled tightly at her and dried her hands. "I've been burned by the l-word before. It was one of the reasons I packed up and moved here. I ran, pretty much. I ran away because things felt wrong, and I couldn't handle it. I told myself that I wasn't ever going to do that again, that I should do my best to make things right. But that's old habits, I guess. The difference is that I've fallen, but I haven't had the chance to do anything about it." She shrugged and began walking to the door, but Velvet grabbed her by the wrist.

"Then why are you here?" she asked.

Blake looked at her quizzically. "Huh? Oh, because... I had to give her some space."

"You said that you weren't going to run again."

"I'm not," Blake said, narrowing her eyes. She tried to shake her arm free, but Velvet pulled her back into the bathroom, back into the conversation.

"Yes, you are."

"Hey, I wanted to be here for _you_ tonight," Blake said, getting irritated. "And I wanted to go out with my friends. It's all just a coincidence that things lined up the way they did."

"You didn't have to come here tonight to escape your problems. You could have sent Ruby and Yang here and stayed with your girlfriend. I would have understood, Blake. Also, I don't want your girlfriend to think that I dragged you here in the middle of your drama."

"She wouldn't have thought that at all," Blake countered. "Weiss is way more thoughtful and considerate than that."

"Who knows?" Velvet threw her hands in the air. "My point is, that you should have stayed to face your issues, rather than coming out here to wake up completely shot tomorrow morning. How do you think that looks to her? Like you're shrinking away, like you're looking for a way out. You're blowing it all way out of proportion, just with your insecurities. Be honest now: you're in love with her, and you need to capitalize on that, especially if you see a future with this girl."

Blake crossed her arms, and stood with a slight scowl on her face. She hated to consider the possibility that Velvet was seeing straight through her.

"If you leave now, then you go back to your girlfriend with your head on straight, ready to do what you need to do in order to make your love go the distance."

"Do I have a choice?"

Velvet gave her a surprised look. "Of course you do. We all have a choice. The alternative for you is to stay here and start a long-term course of drowning in fear of something good. You have the power to make that choice now. I won't be mad if you leave, and I'll get Yang and Ruby back to you in one piece, I promise."

Blake nodded a little, but said nothing further. Then she turned and left Velvet alone in the women's restroom.

Velvet shook her head and went back to the sink. She doused her face with another splash of water and stared at the mirror. Her reflection stared back at her.

"What are you looking at?" she muttered.

Unlike Blake, she was a little drunk.

* * *

 

For the first time since the beginning of the semester, Weiss was beginning to feel tortured by the lack of others around, not for many reasons other than the silence and inactivity. She flicked on the lights to the room, which, after her earlier cleaning rampage, looked neat and tidy, but still lived-in.

Her shoulders sagged with dismay. She knew that it was getting to that time of night, when she should consider turning in, and she was loath to surrender to it. Eventually though, the choice would no longer be hers, and she would fall asleep regardless of how much she willed herself not to. So she decided that she would be better off falling asleep in her mildly-comfortable bed as opposed to curling up on the comparatively uncomfortable flooring, or falling asleep at her desk and using her books as a pillow.

She fell onto her bed, not deigning to first pull back the covers and climb in. She felt exposed, like she was suddenly on display, but stubbornly continued to lie atop her covers.

She pulled her phone out and switched it on, but there were no new notifications to speak of, other than a couple of text messages sent to her by an apparently-drunk Ruby. Nothing from the one she was hoping to hear from. Appropriately ignoring the messages, she switched the phone off again and let it fall from her hand, down by her side.

* * *

 

Sweat coated Yang's limbs and face as she moved with the crowd on the dance floor to the beat of the DJ's mixes. Since she was staying away from drinks, she found as much pleasure dancing. And next to her, Ruby was doing the same, albeit much more sloppily. But it made them laugh, and they were both having fun.

They were about a third of the way inside the crowd, so she could still miraculously hear when Blake yelled her name somewhere behind her.

She spun around and located Blake, who looked antsy, and gave her a wave. Blake frantically motioned for her to come over, so she took Ruby's hand and dragged her off the dance floor.

Her girlfriend started pleading for them to stay and dance, but Yang said over the top of her, "I'm not leaving you there by yourself, and can go back later, okay?! We're just seeing what Blake needs!"

"Okey-dokey!" Ruby yelled back, her demeanor changing all of a sudden.

"Yang!" Blake said when they were closer. She walked them away from the dance floor so that she wouldn't wind up having to make a honey-and-lemon drink for her throat later on – honey wasn't something she usually bought.

"Blake, what's going on? Where's Velvet?" Yang asked.

"She's still in the bathroom," Blake hurriedly got out. "Look, I'm going home."

"What? But the night's still young."

"I know, but I have to sort some things out."

Yang instantly flashed back to the scene in their room earlier, when Weiss stormed out. "Is it about Weiss?" she asked. Blake nodded, and Yang smiled. "Okay then."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine, really."

"Thanks. Velvet should be out any second, and she said she'll help you keep a grip on things with Ruby and her friends."

"Cool," Yang said, then slapped Blake on the shoulder. "What are you waiting for? Go be with your woman!" After Blake muttered something else and left their line of sight, Yang turned to her girlfriend, who seemed to be tiptoeing back to the dance floor. When she realized that she was being watched, she straightened like she was caught in the headlights.

"It's okay," Yang said, ready to burst out laughing. "Let's go!"

Ruby grinned, and Yang took her by the hand, back into the sea of writhing, beautiful bodies.

* * *

 

In the club, she hadn't felt like she was drunk, even after the reasonable amount she'd had. But walking up the staircase of her building, Blake looked down and noticed a little bit of a sway. She still felt put-together nevertheless.

After fumbling for the key to her room, she swung the door open and kicked off her shoes as soon as she was across the threshold.

She shed her clothes in the centre of the room – the door she'd left unlocked, but she wasn't expecting that someone would walk in, nor did she care if they did, she decided – and, wearing only her tank top and underwear, flicked on the kettle. As she waited for the water to boil, she checked her phone, and swallowed the lump in her throat when she found nothing new from Weiss. But there were other messages, three from Yang and one from Velvet. She opened Velvet's message first.

_Yang told me that you left. Hope you sort things out with your girl :P Thanks for coming tonight though! I really appreciate it :) See you at work next time :)_

Blake mentally resolved to reply to Velvet in the morning and thank her, when she didn't have her hands full taking care of her friends.

Yang's messages consisted of photos of Ruby making odd faces at the camera. Blake left those alone, feeling like she probably didn't have to respond to them at all. She plugged the phone onto the charger and started preparing coffee as the kettle's boiling cycle reached zenith.

She sat at her desk as she stirred the coffee, her eyes half-lidded and not focusing on anything. The stirring movements of her wrist ceased as she took the spoon out and laid it on a tissue. She brought the cup to her lips and blew.

She wondered if Weiss was still awake. It was late, of course, nothing that any collegiate wasn't used to, but she also knew that Weiss's sleeping patterns tended to swing in accordance with her mood, if it was particularly extreme. If she was feeling distressed – and Blake knew that she was – then she might be inclined to keep herself up. It wasn't a rule of thumb matter, but Blake hoped that she was still up.

She gently bit down on her tongue. There was the possibility that Weiss had either not been paying attention to her phone since their fight, or she'd turned it off, so she suspected that contacting her on the medium might not work.

She shook her head. She was being ridiculous again, trying to think of the best way to make indirect contact with her girlfriend. What she needed to do was face up to the situation.

Setting the coffee down on her desk, she clenched her teeth.

* * *

 

Weiss sat up. With the silence enhancing the ambient noise, the sound of footsteps stomping around in the corridor didn't go unnoticed at all. When she heard a door open and shut, followed by two dull thuds, she laid back down, interlocking her fingers over her chest as she stared directly up at the ceiling.

It made her wonder, if there was any possibility that the commotion was being caused by Blake. It was wishful thinking, she was aware; it was just as, if not more likely, that the sober Yang had come back to campus ahead of everyone else, who would be indulging and testing their limits. One of her fellow building tenants might be roaming around. She resigned to herself that the idea of her girlfriend, whom she'd essentially batted around the ears, coming back early – whatever the reason might be – was nothing more than her hurt feelings interfering with her mental faculties.

"Come on, woman," she mumbled to herself, and to the empty room. "Get a grip."

It annoyed her that she didn't feel any sleepier, even after fifteen minutes had passed of her lying in bed. Maybe it was her approach; the whole time, she'd been on her back, and, historically, that was the position she'd had the hardest time falling asleep to. She didn't count sleeping on her stomach as a viable option, but she often questioned the people who did.

She rolled onto her left side, sliding her hand underneath the pillow. Time for a fresh perspective.

She wanted to think about Blake, and what they'd done to each other. Of course, Weiss noted, that what she'd done to Blake was only out of a retaliatory instinct. Blake's avoidance of her had been uncalled for, and she didn't feel like there was a reason for her to take kindly to it.

But then she remembered the look on Blake's face when she'd confronted her, that look of anguish. It was like she hadn't known, or hadn't envisioned that Weiss would react the way she did.

Perhaps sustaining outright anger for so long was stubborn and unreasonable of her, she considered. She nodded, the more she thought it about it. She would do her best to take it easier next time she saw Blake.

But the feeling remained with her that Blake was still the party at fault in this scenario, and she couldn't simply let it go. She would hear Blake out, she decided, and she would try to be the best girlfriend she could be, given the situation, but what happened afterwards could potentially be in the air. Would she break it off, just because of something like this? Probably not. Despite how she felt about the matter, how she felt about Blake would likely overrule that. But there would be some form of reprimand, she decided.

For some reason, the silence was so that she felt like she could hear the sound of her heart beating, which creeped her out a little and caused her to sit up. Then she realized that it wasn't her heartbeat at all. Someone was knocking on the door.

She planted her feet on the ground, but didn't stand up. If it was Blake, then she felt ready to see her, but at the same time, she didn't really want to see her at that moment.

"Weiss," came Blake's voice through her door, which was thankfully locked. "Are you awake?"

Weiss said nothing. She essentially froze, sitting on her bed, in two minds about whether or not to stand and answer or lie back down and force herself to sleep.

"Look, if you're awake in there..." Blake breathed a sigh. "I want to talk to you. I shouldn't have left after our fight, and I know that I shouldn't have spent the week avoiding you. But I want you to know why, and I can't tell you if I can't see you. And..."

Weiss heard the door jiggle.

"You've locked yourself in there. Hey, I want to talk to you, okay? I know that my behavior wasn't great, but you need to know that I've had something big on my mind lately."

Weiss frowned. _Is she making excuses?_

"I thought we were good," Blake went on. "I thought our relationship was solid. I don't want us breaking up over something like this. I want to be with you. And if you'll see me, then we can talk about this. So come on, Weiss. Please."

Still, Weiss said nothing. She focused her eyes on the gap under the door, where the corridor light streamed in, blocked in two spaces. The spaces stayed a little longer, but shifted at the same time another sigh came through the door.

"Okay, Weiss. Well, let me know anyway. My door's unlocked," Blake said. Then came the sound of footsteps and a door closing. The corridor light flowed through the space under the door, unbroken.

Weiss finally found it in her limbs to get up, and she padded over to her desk. She pulled out her notebook, tore a sheet from it, and started thinking long and hard.

* * *

 

As promised, Blake left the door unlocked. She leaned her head against it, suddenly overcome with weariness.

She hoped that Weiss had been awake for her one-sided conversation. It was more likely than not that she was awake, and was just hanging her a little, but she wasn't mad about that; if anything, she probably deserved the frosty reception.

But in the event that Weiss had heard what she had to say, then she could do nothing but wait. She wasn't going to stand by Weiss's door, waiting for her to poke her head out, and she wasn't about to inundate Weiss with pleas and bloviated gestures in some attempt to "win her back". She just had to leave herself available.

The kettle had retained a little of its heat, but it was otherwise too cool to sustain another cup of coffee without a fresh boil, so she restarted the cycle.

She was fully aware that she'd just been standing out in the hallway, knocking on Weiss's door, wearing a tank top and underwear. She didn't care about the exposure, but the air-conditioning was raising bumps along her arms and legs, so she wrapped a cardigan around herself and hopped into a pair of red sweatpants.

The time inched ever closer to midnight, and Blake waited. Sipped and refilled and waited, until eventually the first two digits of her phone's clock were zeros, and she figured that would be asleep, especially if she hadn't been asleep when she went over.

So she emptied the remnants of her cup and resigned herself to the idea that whatever was happening between them might not be resolved so immediately. If it were up to her, then she would prefer to treat the wound, rather than let it fester, but she'd made her intentions clear. The ball was in Weiss's court.

* * *

 

Her sleep was truncated, and nothing short of restless. It only lasted a few hours, and when Blake abruptly sat up in bed, she knew that was it; she was awake, and that was how it was going to be for the day.

Across from her, Yang dozed peacefully. Blake hadn't heard her come in, but she was grateful for her roommate's consideration nonetheless.

After spending the better part of five minutes sitting in bed, absorbing the time and situation, she groaned her way out of bed and back into her coffee ritual. One day, the déjà vu of the procedure would hit her, she mused.

She put her cup down, needing to visit the bathroom, and as her path took her past the dorm door, a folded square of lined paper caught the corner of her eye. She picked it up and stuck it into the pocket of her sweatpants as she continued to the bathroom, and pulled it out when she sat down. She hadn't seen it when she picked it up, but her name was delicately printed in the corner of the folded paper, in Weiss's handwriting. It took her aback slightly, but she opened it nevertheless.

 _Outside,_ it read. Blake frowned, and searched the page for any other words, but it appeared that Weiss was being short with her in more ways than one.

Back in the dorm room, she left Weiss's message on her desk, and scribbled a quick note to Yang. It was still dark out, with, at best, two more hours until the sunrise, but she wanted Yang to know where she was, just in case.

She did her best to walk quietly through the corridor with her shoes on, and tiptoed down the stairs with care. She pushed the door open, and was met by both breeze and the pre-sunrise dark. It was still, technically, the tail-end of summer, but it appeared that a cold front was heading their way, and the morning was perhaps the coldest of the season. It made Blake wish that she'd worn more than the cardigan and sweatpants she'd slept in.

Weiss was sitting on the ground, with her back hunched against the bricked wall of the building. She wore a white hoodie with black sweatpants; clearly, she'd dressed for the weather. At the sound of Blake's footsteps, she turned her head and squinted through the low light.

"Hey," she said.

Blake gingerly waved. "I-I got your message," she said by way of greeting.

"Of course you did," Weiss replied. She patted the spot on the floor next to her for Blake to sit, and stared at her as she did. It was with a certain curiosity, but Blake also saw something lurking deeper in those blue eyes.

She shivered, and not just from the cold ground under her rear.

"To be honest," she said, "When I saw that you'd left me a note, I wasn't expecting it to be as short as it was... I also hope you didn't slide that paper under my door two hours ago, because I was sleeping. If you've been out here long, though, then I'm sorry about that."

Weiss nodded in acknowledgement. "To be equally honest, I spent a _long_ time sitting at my desk, thinking of what to say and scrunching up a lot of paper. I ended up taking odd naps at my desk as well. So I haven't been waiting long; I only slid that under your door 20 minutes ago. It's a bit of a fortunate accident that you happened to wake up not long after that, isn't it. Imagine if I was just sitting here for hours until the sun rose, while you slept like a baby in your room."

Blake chuckled. "Right, right."

"I've only been out here for ten minutes or so. As for the note itself... in the end, I figured, 'Hey, she said she's saving her important bits; I might as well do the same.'"

"The important bits do carry more weight and significance in-person," Blake agreed.

"So," Weiss said, hitting the word with a kind of strained tension that made Blake straighten slightly. "Are you going to sit there and stall, or are you going to talk to me properly? I have things of my own to say, but you can feel free to start proceedings. You did sound oh-so eager through my door, after all."

"Then here goes nothing, I guess," Blake said, looking at her hands with a crooked grin. Then she looked up at Weiss, and her expression turned serious. "Weiss... Weiss, I'm in love with you."

Weiss's eyebrows shot up into her fringe. "Huh?"

Blake felt a trickle of sweat down her back. This wasn't what she'd envisioned. What she'd _feared_ , more like. But she pressed on. "I love you, Weiss Schnee," she said again, with more confidence. "I want you to know that."

"And I love you too..." Weiss paused, then frowned. "Hang on. Is that it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't tell me... was _that_ the reason for the week we've had?"

"I... I-uh..." Blake stammered. She was stunned, partly by Weiss's own declaration, but moreso because of the casual tone she'd adopted. "Uh... I-I mean, that's the thing I've had on my mind."

Weiss cocked her head to one side, and shook her head softly. "Blake... you dunce. Come here," she said, opening her arms. Blake scootched over and leaned into them, and Weiss felt her anger all but dissipate.

"I thought you would've taken it differently," Blake commented, calming down.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm over the moon that we feel the same way about each other," Weiss said reassuringly. "But I'm just surprised, that this is what was eating you so long." She frowned again. "I don't really get it. Why the tentativeness around something that should just be simple and straightforward?"

Blake cleared her throat. "Partially because of what you just said. Love isn't straightforward or simple, in my experience. And maybe it is just _my_ experience, but it's why I think the way I do. In some ways, it's why I'm here in the first place."

"Really? What happened?"

"Right, I've never told you about my previous ex. Are you sure you want to know?"

"I had all of last night to deal with my anger. I thought I was carrying some out here, but I'm not angry anymore, Blake. A little surly due to sleep deprivation, but that's beside the point. I want to understand your feelings, and I want to know more about you. We kinda jumped into the good times without a lot of understanding, so it might be a good idea to tease it out a little before we jump right back in."

Blake searched for Weiss's hand with her own, and found it. "Okay then. I won't refer to her by name for obvious reasons, and I'll try not to get sidetracked... too much."

"All ears."

Blake gazed up into the night sky, letting the stars coax the story out of her. "Like I said when we were talking for the first time, I left Menagerie six months before I started at Beacon. I spent that time working jobs for casual hire and cash-on-hand, living in a youth hostel while I waited for my transfer to process."

"The hostel in the south-west?"

"That's the one. Anyway. After the transfer got sorted out, I got my connections to my current jobs, and you know the rest from there. But as for before that... I expended a lot of my free time and energy working out stuff on an emotional level, trying to reconcile how I'd ended things with the fact that it was really over with the girl, and I would likely never see her again."

"Would you tell me a little about her?"

"Are you sure?" Blake asked. Weiss nodded. "I was barely 18 when I met her, and she was about 20 at the time. She was fun, and we had something like passion keeping us together for almost 12 months. But, that's really all there was to it."

"How come?"

"I was a chaser. Even before I graduated from high school, I was always showing interest in the women who were a little older than me. The women with 'experience', I saw them as. Looking back on it, I get the feeling that none of them took me too seriously, or thought I was still too much of a child to get into a proper romance. Maybe I was. But as the dogged pursuer, I would chase after who I wanted, and if I got into something with them, I would torture myself by constantly keeping up the chase for the entirety of the relationship. It was like I was trying to chase some kind of understanding, or even a straight answer. Nevertheless, I always ended up falling for them because of the certain way they'd smirk at me, or because of the honeyed, practiced words that tumbled from their mouths. And for some, stupid, naïve reason, I always ended up confessing, and getting the same looks of surprise or the same nervous laugh, followed up a few days later with the news that 'it's just not going to work out between us', or 'I didn't know you felt that way... I thought we were just having a bit of fun'. I got angry and bitter at them, but as the repeat cases mounted, I started getting angry and bitter at myself. I just couldn't shake the tag of being a chaser. And then I met the 20-year-old in question."

"Did you manage to change things?"

"Here's the thing: I thought that I was changing things, when in reality I was just going through the same motions, while trying to convince myself that things were different with her. It took longer for me to fall for her, but I thought that was just what made it more intense. So I told her, and she seemed to take it much better than others. Of course, she didn't reciprocate, but she still took it okay, I guess. We stayed together for _months_ after that, but the relationship disintegrated so severely at the same time. It killed me to break it off with her, because of the way I felt about her, but she left me with no choice. I came home one day and she was with someone else. I don't know if she expected me to break up with her after that, but I'm sure that it made her happy."

Weiss kissed Blake's hand. "But you weren't happy, I'm guessing."

"Far from it," Blake agreed. "I packed and left Menagerie in a storm of bitterness and bridge-burning. Then, like I said, I spent six months decompressing and working out my headspace. I never was able to work out what to do if I fell for someone else though. Part of me was saying to just go with my previous examples and declare it, no matter what. But then another part that developed during that time was saying to take time to think through it for once, to properly process the gravity of such a feeling. That's more or less what happened this past week. I tried to take some time to process my feelings, but by the time I ended up trying to do something about it, I realized, all too late, how much my absence had affected you. I'm sorry about that, I am. But I hope you understand, that it wasn't easy for me to deal with this. Do you know what it's like to know you're in love with someone, but at the same time, be too afraid of time-honored rejection to just come right out and say it?"

"It's okay," said Weiss soothingly. "I understand."

Blake sighed. "I believe you. But it was a bit of anxiety blowing up into something it shouldn't have."

"You want to know what I think?"

"Of course."

"I think that your exes are horrible, manipulative women," Weiss said. Blake smiled at the nonchalant tone. "For their callousness to do something like that to you... I'm sorry you felt like that. But I'm glad that we talked about it."

"Me too."

"I shouldn't have snapped last night," Weiss said with regret. "I was mad-"

"I don't blame you."

"-And I let my emotions attack. Say, when you were at my door, you said that you didn't want us to break up over this. Were you really that worried about it?"

"It crossed my mind more than once, that's for sure. I was worried that we were going to break up just because I couldn't bring myself to say the words."

Weiss smiled. "What words again?"

Blake smiled as well. "I love you," she said easily, tasting the words as they rolled from her tongue. She liked the way they sounded.

"I love you too,"" said Weiss, not missing a beat.

Blake laughed. "So, we're okay?"

"We're more than okay. But we're going to do things a little differently from now on. Not that there's much we have to change, but there's always room for improvement."

"Mm."

" _'Her love came with the softest of kisses. I was reminded of the velvet delicacy of a flower petal upon my cheek,'"_ Weiss recited.

"That's beautiful," Blake remarked. "What's it from?"

"What?" Weiss said, pretending to be offended. "What makes you think I didn't come up with it?"

Blake stared at her with her best poker face. "I'm not saying anything."

Weiss sighed. "It's from a book. My favorite book, by my favorite author."

"What's it called? Now that you mention it, I may have seen that line somewhere before."

Weiss went on to tell her all about Luna Winters and _To Examine One's Heart_ , and all she'd taken from it. More than once, she noted that, for her, it was the one of the most important works to have ever been published. She spoke at length about the personalities of the protagonist and her love interest, as well as the protagonist's family, before realizing that she was rambling. She trailed off, with Blake nodding.

"You know what, I think I've seen an extract of that book quoted in a paper about homosexuality. Probably, three years ago, I think? I tried to find a copy after that, but I never could. I don't even think we have it in the city library."

"It's difficult, these days, to find a physical copy of it," Weiss agreed. "It's not even on the e-reader marketplaces. But guess what? In my lifetime, I've found two. One of them was just last night, in the college library."

Blake's eyes widened, and her back straightened with interest. "Really? Did you check it out? Do you think you could lend it to me?"

Weiss smiled, but it was wan. "The copy here is ruined. It's a much older one than the first one I found. It might have even been in the first or second batch of publications. But it was falling apart, and the last set of pages is missing. As far as I'm concerned, that's not nearly good enough."

Blake slumped back to Weiss's body. "That's rough. What about the first one?"

"Well, dear, that's a story in itself," Weiss said confidently.

A grin tugged at Blake's lips. "Oh really? I'd love to hear it."

Weiss lowered her voice, and took to stroking Blake's wavy locks, gently brushing her fingers through them from the scalp down. "When I was young," she began, "it was hard to convince my parents to let me run around like other kids, but we compromised, and they agreed to let me go to bookstores and music stores, et cetera. There was this old bookstore in the part of Atlas that wasn't so cold and grey and robotic. I loved it; out of all the bookstores I went to, it was far and away my favorite. The staff there were always very sweet, and I was able to talk to them for ages about what kinds of books I liked, and my favorite authors. I would buy anywhere from two to five books any time I went there, on an allowance. They never tried to squeeze money out of me, even though they knew for sure who I was."

"Young or old?"

"It was a family-run business, so there was an old woman, her daughter and son, and then a close cousin as well."

"That's a nice mix."

"Right. So anyway, sometime when I was a pre-teen – 11 or 12 – they introduced this 'bargain bin' thing, where they put the more obscure books in their catalogue into a box and tried to sell them cheap. That's where I found this gem, this diamond, sitting in the bargain bin at an old bookshop."

"That sounds like a book plot in itself."

"I would go there and just read the book, over and over. I had my first kiss that year, and I tried to do it the way I'd learned in the book."

"Sounds romantic."

"It was incredibly embarrassing, actually. I was so bad at kissing for a long time, until I had a proper girlfriend in high school who showed me."

"Did you ever buy the book?"

"No. I was only in the closet to my parents until last weekend, remember that. I didn't have any LGBT books or media at home. That would have been the biggest red flag imaginable, just short of them catching me kissing a girl in the house."

"Right."

"And then the bookshop went under while I was in high school. It was such a shame. And I never learned what happened to the books they held onto. Maybe they kept them. Maybe they had a yard sale at their suburban Atlas home. Maybe they gave them all away to the penitentiaries and the homeless. Whatever. I will own a copy of that book someday, I tell-" Weiss's proclamation was cut short by the sound of her phone going off. "Oh," she said, sounding comically deflated. "It's Ruby."

"You can answer it."

"Thanks," Weiss said, and hit the 'Accept' button. "Ruby? What is it?"

Blake listened as Weiss offered a truncated explanation of events to her roommate, with assurances that she would be up soon.

"Okay, see you," Weiss said, before hanging up the call. "I wasn't sure what was going to happen this morning, if you would come out or not, or how long I'd be out here, so I took my phone with me in case Ruby wanted to know what was going on."

"You didn't leave a note?"

"No. Much like with the note I left you, I couldn't think of what to say, and it might have taken a long time, so I just left with my phone."

Blake shrugged. "I left Yang a note."

"Do you want a cookie?"

"Yes please," Blake said with a genuine smile. Weiss rolled her eyes.

"Well, I should probably head back up anyway," she said. "Is that okay?"

Blake nodded against Weiss's shoulder. "It's fine."

"Then..." Weiss gave Blake a pointed look. "Would you mind letting me up?"

"Is that a serious request?"

"It would help me."

Blake grudgingly shifted from Weiss. "Fine. I suppose I can manage that."

"Thank you kindly," Weiss said, standing up and brushing off her sweatpants. She then extended a hand to Blake, and pulled her up as well. "Are you coming in as well?"

"Actually, I might hang out here a little longer," Blake said, looking around the deserted expanses of the courtyard.

Weiss took Blake's hands, and held them gently. "Will I see you again today?"

"Of course you will."

Weiss grinned broadly, and planted Blake's hands on her hips, pulling her in close. She backed Blake up against the wall, warmth radiating between them and cutting through the unseasonably cold morning. Their eyes met, and flitted to each other's lips and back.

"You want to kiss me now, don't you?" Weiss asked teasingly.

"Are you kidding me?" Blake whispered. Her stare was intense. "I absolutely do."

"Then what are you waiting for?"

 


	17. Winter Celebrations & Warm Comforts

**An Undeterminable Number of Months Later...**

****Tromping up the stairs, Blake removed her winter jacket so as to let the space heaters do their job. She draped the heavy jacket over her arm and cupped her hands together, holding them close up to her mouth and breathing into them. Her fingers prickled at the warm air and she rubbed them together vigorously. Exams had come and gone, and most of the campus population had vacationed home to be with their families for the winter break. Blake was planning to stay on campus, not having much of a home to go to in the first place.

It had taken a long time, but Weiss had eventually decided to go home to Atlas to be with her family the next week. Apparently to Weiss, it had been a tough decision made tougher by the fact that Blake's birthday was on the Thursday of the week she would be away. Blake was much cooler about that particular factor of the decision, as she generally wasn't one for grand parties, and definitely not when she would be the centre of attention.

Meanwhile, Blake didn't quite know what she would do with the increased free time, other than work, but that aspect of her life was somewhat up in the air; competition for shifts at the V Bar was increasing, with new juniors looking for openings behind the bar. Velvet, in her position, was able to guarantee her continued service, but the matter of how much work that would be on offer wasn't up to her. The library, on the other hand, didn't present any problems for her, given the hours she worked there, so she at least still had that on her side.

She knocked on the door of Room 10, on the third floor. Within seconds, the door opened and Ruby stood in the entrance, grinning at her visitor.

"Hey, Blake! Come in!" she greeted, in that moment, the embodiment of high spirits.

"Ruby," Blake said, smiling. She stepped through the entrance and found her spot sitting on Weiss's bed "How are you? All packed and ready to go?"

Ruby nodded. "Tomorrow's coming up quick. To tell you the truth, I'm pretty excited to meet Yang's dad."

"Well, that might just be because she's been talking him up to you for the last three weeks, in a bid to convince you to fly to back to Patch with her," Blake pointed out. "Speaking of which, I never asked: are you going to see your uncle while you're out there?"

"No," Ruby said, joining her on Weiss's bed. "Even if I made plans with him, he'd probably call me 30 minutes before the meeting saying that he can't make it. And besides, what would I say to him? It's not like we were really close, even before I came here. Look, the only reason I'm going back there is because of Yang. If it wasn't for her, then I wouldn't be going back there any time soon."

"Fair enough."

"Ruby?!" came Weiss's disembodied voice through the walls. "Is Blake here yet?!"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Excuse me a second," she said to Blake.

"Of course," Blake said, granting permission with a wave of her hand. Ruby got up, and shuffled over to the bathroom door. "You don't have to yell, you know. And yes, she's here," Blake heard her say. Then she heard hushed whispers, but couldn't make them out. Then an arm popped out of the doorway and waved in her direction.

"I'll be out in a second!" Weiss called out to her.

"I'm not going anywhere," Blake replied, amused by her girlfriend's rare moment of goofiness.

Ruby turned back to her, and smiled awkwardly. "She'll be out in a second," she said.

Blake nodded. "Got it." In a lower voice, she asked, "Are you and Yang ready for tonight, though?"

"Yep! Everything's ready to go."

"Excellent," Blake said, under her breath.

"Did you manage to get your hands on what you were looking for?"

"I did," said Blake triumphantly. "It took me two months of hunting online and calling strange people with accents, but I got it. I actually just came here from doing the mail pickup."

Ruby thumped her on the back excitedly. "That's great, then! I'm sure she'll love it!"

"Who shall love what?" Weiss asked, strolling out of the bathroom. Upon noticing her, Blake accepted a quick kiss, and then she opened her arms to accommodate Weiss, who promptly jumped into her lap.

"We were just talking about Yang," Blake said. "I went and got her a present for her father."

Weiss pulled some wet locks of hair out of her collar. "Really? That's sweet of you."

"Thank you. Hey, are you still free for tonight?"

"Of course I am. You know, you've been harping on about tonight for the past seven days or so. What's so special about tonight?"

"There is plenty special about tonight, Weiss. We're celebrating our success this past semester, and we're sending off our good friends and roommates with a group dinner at a nice restaurant that does reservations ten days in advance. So please, understand the reasons for my harping."

"Okay okay, I get it."

Blake noticed Ruby watching them with delighted intent. "What is it?" she asked.

Ruby stopped staring, and looked at her. "Nothing. You two are just... I don't know how to describe it. It's like you're cute together, but a different kind of cute."

"We are?"

"It's just as sugary as normal cuteness, don't worry."

"Oh, I'm glad," Weiss retorted sarcastically. "Because I really want people to think of this me as this short, huggy kid. That's great for business negotiations."

Blake nudged her arm. "You remember that you're still sitting on my lap, Miss Power-Suit Schnee?"

"Do you want me to sit somewhere else?" Weiss said, mock-warningly.

"I didn't say that I _didn't_ want you to sit on my lap, no."

"Good," Weiss huffed. "Because, as it turns out, I'm not moving."

"Will I have to put up with this tonight?" Ruby asked.

"Only if you're lucky," Weiss said with a straight face. Blake couldn't help but snort with laughter.

"Hey," she said eventually. "Your flights are all booked for next week?"

"Yeah, I sorted it all out this morning," Weiss said. "I want you to know that I booked those tickets with a sad face. I feel really bad about leaving you here by yourself for a week."

Blake squeezed her arms around Weiss's body. "You want to go home to Atlas to be with your family, and that's okay. I'll miss you, but I understand."

"I know, and I'll miss you too. But that doesn't make it any easier, and I don't like the thought of missing your birthday. We're both still in agreement that it's too soon for you to spend a holiday with them, right?"

"Right," Blake agreed. "We might be able to try early next year, but right now, I think they still need time. That, and you've already booked your flights. It would be incongruous of me to ask you to cancel and re-book."

"Okay then," Weiss said, nodding. Then her face contorted and she buried it in her hands. "I feel guilty," she muffled.

"That's okay, that's okay," Blake soothed. "Hey, maybe after tonight, you'll feel better about it."

"What? At dinner?"

Blake winked at Ruby, who smiled. Weiss didn't notice either of them. "You'll see."

* * *

 

When Blake had called the restaurant "nice", she'd been understating by a long way. When they pulled up outside, Weiss could tell immediately that it smacked of "high-class", the sort of restaurant where semi-celebrities would congregate for a business lunch in the hopes that it would end up in the tabloids the next day.

Perhaps she should have realized that they were headed for such a place when Blake told her that they had to dress up for it a little. It was unusual for her to see someone like Yang wearing mascara and heels, and Weiss could tell that she hated it from the way she kept muttering to Ruby and pointing at her feet. Weiss was bewildered at how her friend was able to put up with Yang's constant whining. If heels bothered Blake, then she wasn't saying anything about it. She was, however, paying close attention to the contents of her sizable purse, so maybe she was simply distracting herself.

Thinking about Blake again brought a curious question to Weiss's mind, so she turned to her girlfriend. "No offense, Blake, but how did you manage to get a reservation here?"

"Oh, well, I wasn't the one who made the call," Blake said, smiling wryly.

Weiss frowned, and said, "What?" but Blake wasn't saying anything further.

The interior of the restaurant was nothing to scoff at either, Weiss noted. It appeared to be of a "modernized" style, with blacks, whites, grays and the occasional red dominating the color palette. The furnishing all seemed very slick and sharp; glass-top tables covered by blindingly white tablecloths, and chairs that looked like they would be more at home in the "for example" section of a furniture store, the ones that would always be displayed in the windows, but at the same time were too exorbitantly expensive for any sane person to justify purchasing. A roped-off staircase at the back led to somewhere even fancier, Weiss assumed.

The maître d'hôtel was a young, clean-shaven man with slicked-back hair and an easy smile, behind a black podium that appeared to just be a rectangular block standing up.

Blake was the one that went up to him. "Hello," she said politely, "we're with the Schnee party. Table for six."

Weiss frowned again.

"Certainly. Right this way, ma'am."

The group started following him, and Weiss tugged on Blake's arm. "Six? The Schnee party? What's going on? Who's joining us?"

The man took walked up the staircase to the upper level, and they followed him. Blake patted Weiss's hand.

"You'll see," was all she said.

If Weiss was going to pick any moment since meeting Blake for an appropriate moment to strangle her, then she would have done so at the top of the staircase. If she hadn't seen her mother and father sitting at one of the larger tables on the upper floor, that is. She froze, slack-jawed, upon seeing them, not quite sure if she was hallucinating or not.

"Hello, ladies," was her mother's greeting.

Blake pushed Weiss towards the table, and into a chair. "I think this was all a little unexpected for her," she said to Mrs Schnee.

"I see."

"Enough fooling around now, Weiss," said Mr Schnee. He snapped his fingers, and Weiss jumped in her seat. She shook her head with disbelief, as her group also sat down around the table.

"What are you two even doing here? What happened to, 'It's too busy in Atlas, dear, I'm afraid we can't get away'?"

"It is indeed very busy in Atlas, Weiss," Mr Schnee confirmed. "But Blake called me last week at the office, and made a case for us to take a two-day sojourn."

"I was on the phone for an hour, total," Blake lamented. "Those overseas calls..."

"I told you to send the bill my way, and I would take care of it," Mr Schnee said.

"And I told you not to worry about it," Blake said defensively.

"Very well."

"Good evening, everyone," said a young woman who had appeared next to the maître d'. "I'll be your waitress for the night. Can I start you off with some drinks?"

* * *

 

The flow of conversation was okay, Weiss surmised. The topic of inviting Blake to Atlas for the holidays didn't come up; her parents were _definitely_ not ready for such a step, and Weiss told herself she would have to be okay with that. The time would come.

Meanwhile, her parents were being kept in the conversation by Yang, who didn't look at all intimidated by their status or demeanor, regaling them with stories of her childhood. Any breaks in conversation were punctuated by the enjoyment of the food, which had all been brought out ten minutes prior.

"Ruby, this would be your first time meeting Yang's father, correct?" asked her mother at one point.

Ruby nodded. "That's right."

"And Yang, does he know that you... that you're..."

"Gay?" Yang finished.

"Mm. Yes. Gay."

"Ruby is my first girlfriend in a couple of years or so. During that time I was just having meaningless flings with guys. I wouldn't really call myself bisexual though. I'm very much with Ruby... wait, what was your question again?"

"I-"

"Oh right! Yeah, he knows. He's cool with it," Yang said. Mrs Schnee looked perplexed. Weiss rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the conversation taking place between her father and Blake.

"Do you have any plans for this break, Blake?"

"It's up in the air," Blake said with a shrug. "I don't really have anyone to 'go home' to, and I still have jobs to go to, even if I lose work at the bar to juniors. Your daughter, on the other hand, is about ready to up and leave me," she said jokingly, planting a hand on Weiss's shoulder.

"Is this true, Weiss?"

"Wha- no. At least, not the way _she_ makes it sound," Weiss said with a frown, hitting Blake on the arm. "Don't even try and joke about something like that."

* * *

 

Before long, the meal was over, with everyone sated. The Schnee parents picked up the bill without so much as a glance at the expense incurred, and no one batted an eyelash at it. Without further ado, the party of six tromped downstairs to the waiting area at the front of the restaurant.

"Thank you for coming," Blake said to Weiss's parents. Ruby and Yang nodded in agreement.

"Oh, you're welcome," said Mrs Schnee. "We're glad we could be here to celebrate the semester's end."

"Weiss, we shall see you next week," her father said. "Have a good night, ladies." He and his wife turned to the exit and walked out, but after a moment, Weiss followed them through the door. Through the glass, Blake watched as Weiss called out to her parents. They turned around, somewhat surprised. Then came a brief exchange between parents and daughter that Blake could not hear.

"Should we head out?" Yang asked.

Blake shook her head. "Wait for Weiss to come back. I want us to head out together. And I want to intrude on whatever's going on out _there_ ," she said, gesturing to the window, through which Weiss gave each of her parents a brief hug before parting with them. They continued down the street, and Weiss walked back into the restaurant, a placid expression on her face.

"All good?" asked Blake. Weiss nodded. "Now, we can leave," Blake said to Yang.

"You were waiting for me?" Weiss asked as the group of four departed the restaurant.

"Of course. After all, the night's not over yet."

"You have more surprises planned?"

"Just one," Blake said, reaching into her purse and producing a rectangular box wrapped in tissue paper. She handed it to Weiss, smiling meekly. "Sorry about the wrapping," she said. "It just came in the mail today."

Weiss slid the paper off, and opened the box. She stared at the contents of it for a long moment, and when she looked at Blake, it was with a consuming intensity that unnerved her.

"Blake..." she whispered. "I don't believe it."

"Do... you like it?" Blake asked, suddenly uncertain. Weiss broke out into a beaming smile, and ran at her. Letting out an uncharacteristic whoop of delight she leapt into a surprised Blake's arms, who barely managed to catch her.

"I! Don't! Believe! It!" Weiss repeated ecstatically, all the while peppering Blake's face with kisses. She tossed the empty packaging into a nearby trash can, and held the book aloft to the glow of the streetlight. "I love it!"

"I'm glad," Blake said, chuckling with embarrassment. "Can I put you down now? I'm not that strong to carry you back to campus from here."

"Oh! Sorry," Weiss said, jumping down, clutching the book with a one-handed vise-grip. She threw her arms around her girlfriend in her best impression of a bear hug. "Thank you, so much!" she exclaimed. "How in the world did you find it?"

"It's a long, boring story that transcends the concept of a 24-hour day," said Blake, scratching her head. "Seriously, it's better if you don't know how I went about tracking that book down."

Weiss smiled gratefully, and pressed another long kiss to Blake's cheek. "Well, I appreciate it. You didn't have to go hunting this book down."

"Of course I did. I know how important it is to you, and you know how important you are to me. I would have done almost anything to get it for you."

Weiss blushed and rested her head against Blake's shoulder. "I love you, you know."

Blake closed her eyes. "I know. I love you too."

"Aw, well aren't you two just the sweetest things?" came Yang's unsubtle, teasing voice. Blake's eyes snapped open, and she flicked her head towards her roommate, who was holding her phone up, with the camera pointed straight at them. She was grinning at what she saw on the screen, and beside her, Ruby was doing the same.

"How... how long have you been recording?" Blake asked, still holding Weiss to her, who hadn't moved.

"Oh... only since she took a running jump into your arms," Yang said.

Blake's face immediately flushed red. "Y-you... I will... I'm going t-to-"

"Don't worry about _them_ ," Weiss said quietly, still smiling. "Besides, that video is now another example of how you're the best girlfriend I could ask for."

* * *

 

On Monday morning, Blake accompanied Weiss to the airport, and farewelled her at the check-in line. They did their best not to get too emotional, despite the fact that they would only be separated for eight days. Weiss promised to call her as soon she landed in Atlas.

Blake stuffed her hands in her pockets as she walked out. But when she looked back through the glass sliding doors, Weiss was smiling and waving at her. She smiled and waved back.

* * *

 

On Thursday morning, Blake decided to sleep in for an extra 30 minutes, and slipped further under her thick comforter. She figured that she earned it, for seeing yet another year of her young life through on a consistent high note.

She would have liked to sleep for longer, but she was eventually awoken by her open laptop chiming, telling her that someone was trying to video-call her. "Someone" most likely being Weiss. She was glad that Yang was sleeping with Ruby, mainly because she didn't want to deal with the fallout of her roommate being woken up early.

She pulled the comforter off her bed as she got up, and wrapped the warmth around herself from the neck down as she shuffled to her desk and accepted the call. Instantaneously, a window popped up, and the screen was filled with Weiss's face.

Blake smiled sleepily at her. "Morning, Babe."

"Good morning," Weiss replied. "And happy birthday! I didn't wake you up, did I?"

"What? _No_ ," Blake said. "Of course you didn't. And thank you very much for the good wishes."

"Anything exciting planned?"

Blake shrugged. "No. I think Ruby's going to try and take me out at some stage. Other than that, I'm just going to chill-ax."

"'Chill-ax'?"

"Chill out, slash relax."

"Ah."

"How about you?"

"I'm sitting in on the end-of-calendar-year meeting at the company."

"Sounds fun."

"Excuse you, miss. I'm actually looking forward to it. It's a great opportunity."

"Are you going to call any shots?"

Weiss gave considerable pause in her reply. "Maybe. We'll see how the mood of the room is."

"I'm so proud of you."

"Just because of this?"

"No, in general. I'm proud of you."

"Thank you very much." In the distance, there was what appeared to be a knock on Weiss's door. "Ah! It's that time already. Sorry about this, Blake, but I have to start getting ready now."

Blake waved at her. "It's fine. Go. Be the best power-suit you can be."

Weiss chuckled. "Thank you. I'll call you after, okay?"

"Okay."

Weiss smiled at her. "Okay then. I love you."

"I love you too."

The call ended, and Blake fell back into bed. She closed her eyes, smiling to herself. It didn't matter if Ruby came and dragged her out of bed now; as far as she was concerned, the rest of her birthday could ride out this high.

She whispered into her pillow, "Here's to what the future brings."

 


End file.
